Próximo restaurant, NC

Proximo is a Spanish tapas restaurant in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The restaurant serves small plates and pintxos with a wide array of Spanish and Portuguese wines. Smink Studio tiles in a bespoke design adorn the walls of the open kitchen. Screen-printed in ginger, yellow and pink, these Toucan tiles evoke a mediterranean warmth that matches the food and ambience of the restaurant.

Entrance of the Próximo restaurant, a brick building with a blue awning, its window showing a wall of amber Smink Studio tiles.
Table of Spanish tapas at Próximo: ham, sardines, olives, cheese, almonds and crisps beside the menu.
Chef walking past a wall of vertical Smink Studio handmade tiles with amber, orange and blush screen-printed shapes at Próximo.

Many of the tiles (30x10cm / 12×4″ approx.) are double-printed, meaning that the two screen-prints are applied by hand to the same tile. By overlaying one colour on top of another, new shades and hues emerge while the overall design maintains a sense of unity and integrity.

Próximo kitchen wall of vertical Smink Studio screen-printed tiles in cream, orange, mustard and pink.

The huge two-metre / six-foot wide cooker hood was a particular focus. Our client had initially planned to use natural stone but couldn’t find anything that met health department standards. We were able to design layout where the tiles on the hood blend into those on the wall behind and the transition is softened with bullnose edges: a bespoke solution that is unique, elegant and health-regulations compliant!

Dining room at the Próximo restaurant with leather banquettes, marble tables and an exposed brick wall.
Vertical Smink Studio handmade tiles for the Proximo project, in cream with amber and orange glazes and screen-printed circles.
Layout drawing for the Proximo project: Smink Studio screen-printed tiles in amber and rust cascading down a cream wall.

The custom layout design that we created for this project.

Open kitchen at Próximo with a chef passing a wall of vertical Smink Studio handmade tiles in cream, amber and blush.

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