Hook + Line | C.I. Banker Wire and Iron Works

Located in Boston's Seaport District, with a rich history of shipping and fishing, Tom Schlesinger's latest restaurant, Hook + Line, draws inspiration from the surrounding neighborhood. Designed by the team at RUHL | JAHNES Architects, the design sets out to mirror the Seaport District's history and the seafood restaurant's connection to the ocean through subtle references embodying the neighborhood's spirit.

The goal for the restaurant's design was to be cozy and warm, like one would expect from a residence, with a strong sense of modern architecture. To achieve this, tile and other fixed materials form an understated backdrop of blueish-green hues, with aged reclaimed wood slats that accent the long back wall. Within the wood slats, gaps are filled with mirrors to create reflections, a touch inspired by the iridescence of fish scales. The use of authentic materials here brings visual texture and nautical references that play to the history of the South Boston waterfront.

A long, curved facade provides views of the water at Hook + Line, but the building's high ceilings left too much space for the coziness the owner wanted to achieve. To bring the space down and reflect the warm glow of the open kitchen, the design team turned to Banker Wire via Cafco, a Boston construction management company, for the brand's Dune 4050 pattern, engineered by Codina, a flexible mesh wire pattern that creates movement and reflection. Reminiscent of a fishing net, the wire mesh was hung from the ceilings in a gentle arc. The design team was impressed by this flexible material's ability to create movement through reflection and as light travels across it. This play of light and shadow is seen at the restaurant bar, where Banker Wire's Flow F flexible mesh interlocks create a dance of light behind a frosted glass panel. This particular mesh, chosen by the design team because of the shadows it casts, is made of flowing spirals of flat wire that are linked to one another to create a flexible metal net.

Banker Wire's wire mesh patterns offer designers and architects enhanced creative flexibility with a material as versatile as its name suggests. The mesh's flexibility allows it to be used in several decorative applications, like in this case.

About Banker Wire

Banker Wire is the world's leading woven and welded wire mesh manufacturer for architectural and industrial applications. From intricate design highlights in architectural environments to large-scale industrial applications, the company's scalable operations ensure every mesh job is precisely manufactured according to the specifications of each order. Durable, sustainable, and available in thousands of patterns, wire mesh is the ideal medium to satisfy any project regardless of its function or aesthetic. Founded in 1896, Banker Wire's state-of-the-art facility in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, employs proprietary equipment and processes refined for over a century, bringing unmatched customization, variety, quality, and service to customers globally.

Architect: RUHL | JAHNES Architects

Photographer: Graffito