Ciao Bruto! - 130 Plaza St., Healdsburg, CA : Commercial Renovation — Interior Design, Branding & Merchandise Curation

Led concept through completion, this project began as an idea and became a fully realized space — designed, built, branded, and curated from the ground up. For twenty-five years, 130 Plaza Street had been quietly shaped by decades of accumulated renovation layers — drywall over concrete, carpet over hardwood, each update gradually obscuring the building's original character.

The starting point was equally archeological and aesthetic. Inspired by the rough poetry of Brutalism and the layered visual culture of Naples, where a romance is found between antiquity and urban grit. The goal was to uncover what was actually there, and let it speak. A small crew handled demolition; the restoration was largely solo work. Concrete walls and floors were repaired and refinished, original wood beams and flooring restored, railings repainted, Roman clay and limewash applied to the 20-foot interior walls, and new oiled maple panels introduced as architectural structure. Track lighting was fully updated, fixtures and furniture sourced and installed throughout, and exterior signage designed and installed on-site.

Branding was developed in parallel — identity, signage system, and marketing assets — alongside merchandise curation, so the space and its contents told a unified story from opening day. Documented here: before/after renovation photography, finish material details (concrete, steel, clay, wood), exterior presence, fixtures, curated product, branded imagery, and floor plan.