CASABLANCA
Casablanca Restaurant, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, is in a building of Spanish Mediterranean Architecture that was restored with tinted plaster walls, forged iron, open beams, re-use iron from vintage train stations and re-cycled lumber for the face of walls and bar front. The overhead beams in the main room were scorched with torches, which created a real mess of a process, but was worth the result in a rich authentic finish. The terrazzo floors were re-conditioned by grinding the stone to its original appearance. Restoration of the exterior stucco building was accomplished with paint by Emilio Cianfoni, know for his original lyme based paints. We used antique Moroccan lanterns to light the walls inside and out creating patterned shadows on the warm hues. The feel of the original club in the movie, Casablanca, was achieved with yellow bulbs in all the lanterns to resemble candle lighting. We commissioned artists to paint palm branch shadows on the wet plaster walls that offered the subtlety of Rick’s Cafe. Accents of mosaic and restored bentwood furniture. added to this charm.
Photos by Dan Forer