The March 2024 multimillion-dollar renovation of the Hotel La Jolla, Curio Collection by Hilton, introduced Sea & Sky, a new restaurant on the penthouse level. Led by Executive Chef Ernest Lopez, the sea-to-table restaurant features an elegant main dining room, private dining area, show kitchen, and an expansive bar. Award-winning hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) took inspiration from the coastal environment of La Jolla, known as “the jewel of San Diego.” “We were gifted with this breathtaking, panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean in one of the most picturesque cities in California. Our team focused on the gift Mother Nature offered us in this setting,” said HBA Los Angeles Senior Designer Lauren Hausner, who worked with Associate Ashley Bright on the design of Sea & Sky. “With the restaurant’s 11th floor location, we played with the serene palette of the lapping waters and the richness of a sunset, allowing our design team to interject playful, vibrant colors for an unexpected pop. By crafting an environment that enhances the surrounding natural beauty and brings the outdoors in, we sought to create a feeling where guests exist in harmony between sea and sky.” To foster that feeling, the HBA team selected furnishings with “soft, sweeping curves, with comfortable and tactile upholsteries,” Hausner described. “In the fabric selections, we brought together tranquil blues as a nod to the surf and sky but also rich leather textures for a more granular feel (like the sand) and natural strength, honoring the balance of materials found in nature. Stone accents in the table and bar tops were selected to add interest to the space. … The wood flooring is classic and elegant in its patterning, but stained with the texture of a found, tumbled piece of driftwood on the shore.” HBA Los Angeles partnered with vendors who custom-designed furniture and fixtures for Sea & Sky, including lighting fixtures “developed in close collaboration with Bluebird Lighting, who translated our vision into tangible elements that enhanced our narrative for the space,” Hausner related.
1Cliffs and Shores
Fluted limestone layers down the bar front evoke sea cliffs sculpted by nature, while the accent floor tiling recalls sea glass collected along the shores.
2A Nod to the Nautical
Braided ropes allude to seafaring ships and serve as a divider between the main and private dining rooms.
3Nature-Inspired Accents
The leaf-shaped ceiling elements were retained from the pre-renovation space. “We changed the finish to freshen up the detail,” said Hausner. “Overall, it worked with the nature-inspired design, so we breathed a little new life into it to make the old new again.”
4Beach Lifestyle
“Our artwork selection was inspired by the local culture and its sophisticated and carefree essence,” Hausner explained. “Sleek, black-and-white photography captures the area’s rich history, while vibrant pieces celebrate the easygoing beach lifestyle of the locale that has continued throughout generations.”
