The story of Downtown restaurant Amelia Gene's design

Susan Ellis | Memphis Business Journal

When designers of the Atlanta-based Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry approach a project, it's important that they remain flexible.

Such was the case when they took on the job of transforming the old William C. Ellis & Sons Ironworks and Machine Shop into the fine dining restaurant Amelia Gene's. The building had not been in use for years, and there was a huge hole in the back wall.

But, they saw promise in the space and began developing a storyline — in fact, they initially created three.

"We presented three totally different ideas of different ways we could approach the space," said Christy Eckert, an interior designer with the Johnson Studio. "There were two that were sort of what the restaurant is today, which is the storyline of drawing parallels between the craft of a blacksmith and a chef."

The designers considered what the blacksmith does and what the chef does. Both work with their hands. They thought, too, about the art and craft behind both trades. They struck on the idea that both the blacksmith and the chef work with fire.

A shining example of this is the handmade chandelier in the main dining room. The lights flicker, suggesting embers. A copper canopy bathes the room in warm light.

Building out a story

Amelia Gene's is part of the One Beale development and opened in October 2023. Originally, Carlisle LLC, the developers of One Beale, thought they may tear the building down. But, ultimately, they knew there was potential in the space. The restaurant, located at 255 S. Front St. Downtown, is named after Carlisle CEO Chance Carlisle's daughter.

Once the Johnson Studio designers have a story set, they now need to build their design to tell that story. But, before they can begin, they must address the needs of the building.

"It was challenging, and there was a lot of push and pull along the way of how do we make this functional but work with this building," Eckert said. "We explored ideas at one point of having the kitchen in the building behind it and building a skybridge. The kitchen actually moved several times throughout this process. It's a collaborative process and being honest and transparent, and the client saying, 'Hey, we want this.' We'll say, 'We're going to try to make that happen, but here are the parameters that are going to affect that.'"

That said, the building itself was in pretty good shape, according to Eckert, who noted that most of the renovation work was on the HVAC, electrical, and window replacement.

Much of the equipment and original items in the building were auctioned before it was purchased by Carlisle. Some of the larger machine pieces remained, and the Johnson Studio worked to incorporate them into the design. They also went around to antique shops to look into purchasing back some of the original items.

The chandelier proved to be tricky. Originally, the plans called for drilling into the ceiling, which would have caused structural damage. The compromise was the canopy.

"We had this vision. It was this twinkle floating in the ceiling, and it was real loosey-goosey," said Elizabeth Hughes, director of design at Johnson Studio.

They worked with a firm out of Canada to come up with a solution. The results furthered the story of Amelia Gene's — the canopy echos a chef's oven or a blacksmith's forge.

Both Eckert and Hughes said it is particularly rewarding to eat in a restaurant that you've designed, to see your ideas at play and to watch other diners interacting with it.

As for Amelia Gene's story, there is no ending, Hughes said. She pointed to a painting of Amelia standing on a horse. There are vegetables in her saddlebag.

"It's really the beginning of this story. [Amelia's] a blacksmith, horse rider, and a chef," Hughes said. "Her story's just begun. We'd love to see where life takes her."