Graham Baba Architects partner and restaurant design guru Jim Graham tells us that authenticity is paramount for a successful space. That applies to all levels of design, including the concept, the space as it relates to the building, the materials, and the details. “Honest spaces are most often comfortable spaces,” he says. Jim would have been a panelist at our recent Retail & Restaurants Summit, but he and colleague Brett Baba were way down the Colorado River that morning, heading to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Here's one of the firm’s latest projects, Miller’s Guild in Hotel Max, which just opened beginning of January. At the heart of it is a nine-foot custom-made grill that chef Jason Wilson uses to create his wood-fired menu. Other elements of the ruggedly handsome design evoke the history of the 1926 building, which features custom furnishings created by Seattle carpenters, metalworkers, and masons.