CORE created a light-filled, modern bakery for pastry chef Meredith Tomason. The design is inspired by Tomason’s menu of heritage-inspired desserts. Located at 963 Palmer Alley in CityCenterDC, the 1,200-square-foot RareSweets is the only bakery in the development. Like Tomason’s culinary creations, the RareSweets design reinterprets heritage baking in a fun and modern way. For example, a wooden apron – inspired by a design motif found in old cookbooks and pie tins – outlines the baking area. Larger, horizontally-stacked subway tiles face the walls instead of traditional subway tiles. Supersized hexagonal floor tiles replace the traditionally small-tile treatment. Linear butcher block and Mink marble countertops replace the expected Carrera marble. And glass cake domes are used to create accent light fixtures. As RareSweets customers queue in front of the icing station they appreciate the comforting design palette that mixes white, grey, and honey-stained pine and ash tones with the bakery’s bright-yellow brand color.
Status: Built
Location: Washington, DC, US
Firm Role: Design Architect
Additional Credits: Client: Meredith Tomason
Project Team: Allison Cooke, Alexandra Breummer, Kate Herman
General Contractor: PCS
Photography: Greg Powers
