Denver-based FAM Design, founded in 2020, is a boutique, full-service interior design, interior architecture, and creative design studio. The firm’s cofounders, Megan Freckelton and Frank Mataipule, specialize in hospitality-leaning projects, and their design philosophy is rooted in meaningful and creative storytelling. We asked Freckleton to tell us the stories of three popular restaurants in the Denver metro area.
Traveling Mercies, Aurora
How would you describe this space? It’s an intimate, thoughtful cocktail and oyster bar from James Beard Foundation Award–winning chef Caroline Glover and Nelson Harvey, designed to celebrate family, travel, craft, and hospitality. It’s timeless and cozy; the goal was to lean into the idea of a place for people to duck into and forget about everything for a minute.
What were your initial requests from the client? How to properly operationalize a 400-square-foot space where every detail matters, to create thoughtful wayfinding to lead patrons to the third-floor tucked-away location, and to provide design that tells a meaningful story to create a warm, welcoming space.
Did you draw from any specific inspiration when designing this space? The name Traveling Mercies is a phrase Caroline’s mother uses to wish friends and family safe passage on their journeys, connoting a sense of safe harbor and a place of respite to be found in this tucked-away bar. Caroline also gave us a book of her grandfather’s art, and one collage stood out—a collection of sixty-plus portraits of creatives with their hands up to either side of their face, a celebration of the tools of their craft, the hands. Hands were then represented by being incorporated into signage and wayfinding motifs. The hand collage was framed and hangs in the waiting area.
What features stand out? All of the connections to the owners’ families really make the space special— Caroline’s grandfather’s artwork throughout, Nelson’s stepfather’s handwriting for the neon logo, Caroline’s aunt’s “Love to All” wish pressed into the leather check presenters, and what drove the whole concept, Caroline’s mother’s well-wishes, “traveling mercies.”
Learn more about Traveling Mercies.
Oliver’s Italian, Greenwood Village
How would you describe this space? Oliver’s Italian transports patrons to an evening in an Italian garden while enjoying a fantastic pinsa (Roman-style pizza), fresh-from-the-farm oysters, and a negroni under the olive tree, celebrating love with your loved ones.
What were your initial requests from the client? Our design challenges included how to create a space, formerly housing a fast-casual concept, into a modern, approachable experience that still pairs well with the upscale level of the menu.
Did you draw from any specific inspiration when designing this space? The design concept tells the love story of Oliver, a young man with fond memories of growing up in Italy and enjoying his mother’s food in the garden. Oliver falls in love with an American girl, moves to the United States, and opens a restaurant to share his mother’s recipes, all the while writing to her to keep her abreast.
What features stand out? The large-scale light fixtures and centralized olive tree canopy were used to lower the feel of the ceiling to a more intimate scale, while helping to anchor the space with a focal point, and the string lights provide a nod to al fresco dining. The stripes of the tile, upholstery fabric, and restroom wallcovering are a nod to classic Italian motifs. The classic white marble used on the bar top contrasts perfectly with the red hues of their vast Negroni and Aperol spritz offerings, and the pendants over the host stand are by Italian ceramicist Paola Paronetto.
What hidden gems should guests seek out? Travel is conceptually expressed by a collection of vintage Italian postcards (love letters) featured in the restroom corridor and at the booths. The check presenter is a postcard, and there’s a postbox at the host stand—your opportunity to write home to your love. The red accent paint in the restroom corridor, red napkins, and heart-shaped coat hooks also signify love.
Learn more about Oliver’s Italian.
Blue Island Oyster Bar, Lone Tree
What were your initial requests from the client? Create a space that celebrates their fresh seafood straight from their partner farm in Long Island. Support multiple party sizes and a comfortable dining experience for their patrons.
Did you draw from any specific inspiration when designing this space? The design inspiration was the menu—celebrating the ocean and all things briny.
How would you describe the feel/vibe of this space? Coastal and fresh, with coastal hues of blue throughout.
What features stand out? At the slatted seafoam booths, endcaps feature elongated penny souvenirs from New York near the oyster farm. The entry features a custom host stand displaying a collection of diving helmets, and a large-scale wood oar sculpture creates a striking focal point. Shades of weathered wood are also used throughout.
What hidden gems should guests seek out? Many of the photographs that adorn the walls are from their partner oyster farm in Long Island. The restrooms feature wallcovering with bright schools of fish.
What was your favorite part of this project? Helping to create a space that is welcoming, where patrons are comfortable staying awhile.
Learn more about Blue Island Oyster Bar.
