Reading Club & Seneca

Members Club & Restaurant

San Diego

CA USA

Members Club & Restaurant

About

A rooftop dining room and members club with designs inspired by nautical traditions, seaside locales, maritime detailing, and the spirit of exploration. They celebrate not just the bounty of discovery, but the journey itself.

Nautical inspirations serve as the through line for The Reading Club and Seneca Trattoria. The Reading Club's identity is influenced by the many historic ships that passed through the San Diego Harbor. Seneca Trattoria took inspiration from the nautical mess halls and communal dining in tight quarters, which fostered a sense of community among the ship's passengers during the long voyage.

Restaurant & Bar Design Awards

Best Standalone Restaurant

LOCATION

San Diego

CA USA

Size

3,800 ft² / 353 m²

Meticulous details with a maritime spirit.

Inlaid copper strips use flag semaphore to spell out secret messages when tables are arranged a certain way. Textured holophane glass on light fixtures refracts light similar to lighthouses and ship deck lighting. Tassels on furniture capture the ever-present sway and motion while sailing. A feature, streamline 1940’s banquette brings in a WWII pin-up vibe found on ships of that era.

Open Gallery

Fringe, tassels, bold patterns and colors, and signature graphics pull the daring design together.

Nautical Nuance

Both The Reading Club and Seneca Trattoria rely on materials typically found on different types of ocean liners to create spaces rich in maritime culture.

The Reading Club draws on the disappearing craft of shipbuilding that historically focused on the use of wood, while the aim with Seneca Trattoria was to blend high-craft detailing with utilitarian nautical functionality giving it a more modern look and feel. High-gloss wood floors, metal-paneled walls with exposed rivets, and copper ceilings are just a few of the materials on display.

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Enveloping Light

The Reading Club's light fixtures throughout the space serve as individual moments of art and awe. Grand fluted column lighting, grand feature chandeliers, and pervasive light coves give the space a sense of elevated refinement and envelope guests in warmth.

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"Highly curated and meticulously designed."

Hospitality Design

'Below Deck' Meeting Spaces

Private meeting and event rooms double as rare spirits and manuscript storage. Both rooms feature a vaulted ceiling and intimate proportions, creating a feeling of being ‘below deck’ amongst the treasures.

High Shine

From glossy wood parquet floors and shiny copper bathroom capsules to holophane glass fixtures and crystal chandeliers, The Reading Club and Seneca Trattoria use materials to recall an era of refinement and grandeur.