Table 1280 at Woodruff Arts Center

Art, design, and civic culture merge to form an inspiring Atlanta destination

Table 1280 occupies a key location in the Renzo Piano-designed Woodruff Arts Center complex, forming one side of a primary public “piazza.” With its dramatic floor-to-ceiling glazing, light and activity inside the restaurant spill onto the piazza creating an improvisational performance that beckons passersby. Respecting the large, gallery-like spaces, Bergmeyer designed a collection of discreet “functional sculptures” that organize and define the various zones of the restaurant. While these elements share the Woodruff’s larger themes of lightness and layering, they are constructed of an ethereal resin unique to the restaurant. In response to the project’s need for an affordable, durable, and luminous material, a strategic partnership was created between Bergmeyer and fabricators MB Wellington Studio, which developed a product called “Lightcast.” Critical to the project’s success, Lightcast proved to be so versatile that it became the restaurant’s signature material, finding its way from the host station to the bar to the dining tables and even to a through-wall sink basin connecting the men’s and women’s restrooms. By also establishing partnerships with furniture and wine cabinet manufacturers during the earliest stages of design, Bergmeyer was able to deliver an award-winning, high-end environment while staying within the client's budget.