Sculptural Columns Set The Scene For This Coastal Hotel Restaurant

2024 Best of Year Winner for Hotel Dining

An amalgamation of beaches across the globe, from Crete and Santorini in Greece to Positano and Capri, Italy, influenced Marelle, this 3,700-square-foot restaurant designed by Atelier Gulla Jonsdottir in Santa Monica, California, part of a broader revamp of the Sandbourne hotel, located mere steps from the Pacific shoreline. Hand-plastered walls, in a dusky terra-cotta hue that conjures the Mediterranean, backdrop the main room, where undulating plaster columns cordon off a more intimate dining alcove. Similarly sculptural are the custom pendant fixtures, handcrafted of ceramic in Oaxaca, Mexico, that form a shapely constellation above. Welcome cocktails are served at a grand bar, built of oak with a weathered-look concrete top and backed by sunny gold-tone wallcovering. This being SoCal, the restaurant naturally flows outside, where a lighthouse-like triple-height dining pavilion is enclosed by cream-colored drapery panels—allowing for cozy privacy or full-fledged access to million-dollar views.