Restaurant Exterior Design on Jersey Shore
By: Juliana
When Brian and Trevor purchased a large blue building in Wildwood, a city along the Jersey Shore, they knew the exterior would have to change dramatically in order to reflect the aesthetic of their new restaurant, The Cove in Wildwood.
An internet search for exterior designers brought up brick&batten, and once Brian saw a few of our before-and-afters, he couldn’t get us out of his head. He told his business partner, Trevor, he wanted to work with us. Soon after, Brian sent us images of their blue building. From there, our experts created a virtual rendering that complemented their restaurant’s fresh tastes — and helped them advertise leading up to the new spot’s grand opening.
Ever since brick&batten created the concept of virtual exterior design, we’ve helped thousands of homeowners (and business owners) elevate their buildings’ exteriors. Learn more about our virtual exterior design services. Or, if you’ve worked with brick&batten in the past and have a great “actual after” photo of your building, click here to upload it for a chance to be featured on our blog.
The Before
The Cove in Wildwood’s building once belonged to another restaurant and was painted bright blue with yellow and white accents. Brian and Trevor sought to both rebrand and reinvent the building for locals and tourists alike. They knew its recognizable color had to change leading up to the grand opening in April.
The Design
A couple of weeks after sending brick&batten images of the building, Brian and Trevor received a virtual rendering from our designers. They were excited about it right away. As Brian said,
The design you created came out great on the first round. [We] loved it right from the beginning.
Not only did they love the general aesthetic of the rendering, they also loved the logo our designers created. They hadn’t asked for a logo initially; our designers had just created one as a placeholder! But Brian, Trevor, and their team fell in love with it. They had tried to choose a logo for a long time, and ultimately couldn’t imagine their building without the ‘placeholder’ option.
Our designers provided virtual renderings for three different sides of The Cove’s building. All included recommended paint colors and elements for Brian and Trevor to reference throughout the renovation process. The designers suggested changing the bright blue paint to a classy marriage of greige and black — Jogging Path for the stucco and Tricorn Black for the windows, gutters, trim, and railings, both by Sherwin Williams — plus wood paneling accents for behind the restaurant’s sign.
We also suggested glass railings, giving the building an airy feel. Different shades of paneling for the soffits, black light fixtures and pots, and a palm tree mural all make the design feel fully custom. Setting the restaurant off is a fun black-and-white-striped awning.
The Process
Brick&batten clients are welcome to make requests when working with our designers, and they can also request revisions to receive updated designs. For The Cove, Brian and Trevor ordered two design options initially, which helped them decide on their preferred color palette (option 1 above).
The business partners hired a contractor to bring the virtual rendering to life.
Brian and Trevor loved that the renderings acted as a “kit” they could use to source the various elements to use in the renovation process. The Cove’s team wasn’t able to quickly acquire vinyl wood paneling, so they instead used real wood, which was installed quickly.
One benefit of working with brick&batten is that you can follow your rendering and resource list down to the letter. Or, you can pick and choose which of our recommended elements you want to purchase and install. Although Brian and Trevor couldn’t use certain elements, their contractor was able to reference the design and find similar pieces.
Beyond being useful for showing the contractor, the rendering was useful for advertising leading up to the new restaurant’s grand opening. Brain explained:
When we started doing our social media, we published the rendering all over the place. It was great.
Brian sent us this night shot of the building when it was only awaiting a few finishing touches (like the awning):
The Actual After
The Cove’s finished look is the perfect mix of fun and classy. The striped awning gives the building a nautical vibe appropriate for its setting. Pairing this with the classy black, greige, and wood accents make it feel more upscale than the previous blue building.
Brian said:
It’s gorgeous. Everybody loves it.
Somebody said to me the other day, ‘I’ve never seen a real-life job look so much like the rendering.’
A restaurant exterior renovation that makes a statement
It’s amazing what a few non-structural changes to a restaurant exterior’s color, texture, and features can do. This transformation is the perfect example.
Changing from solid blue to updated and elegant, The Cove now brings a classy flair to this Jersey Shore drive.
The transformation, according to Brian, has left many saying, “Wow, what a difference.”
Now we just need to stop by and try a Big Kahuna Burger!
Does your business or restaurant exterior need a rebrand? Does your home feel drab? Brick&batten’s expert designers will help you see how your space could look with a few exterior design changes. Start your virtual exterior design today.
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