A cedar-clad culinary pavilion at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is a finalist in the 8th annual GRAY Awards in the Hospitality Design breakout category. The restaurant, known as Ghost Tree Grill, was designed by Scott Edwards Architecture. It is nominated alongside other projects in the same field, competing for recognition in the hospitality sector.
Blending with the Dunes
Bandon Dunes is known for its rugged coastal cliffs and rolling sand dunes. The design of Ghost Tree Grill attempts to fit the building into this terrain. Elements like an asymmetrical gabled roof and cedar cladding are intended to weather naturally over time. The structure also includes walls of windows to offer sweeping views of the course.
Ghost Tree Grill sits on a hillside and is visible from the 18th hole of the Old Macdonald course. The placement is meant to welcome golfers as they finish the round. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor spaces for dining, relaxing, and socializing. It also provides views of the course and the nearby Ghost Tree, a 50- to 60-foot Port Orford Cedar that still stands on a ridge despite being dead.
Visitors enter through an understated, cedar-clad wall. As they move deeper into the building, the space opens up to reveal a lively dining room and a central bar. The bar features a live-edge wood top. This purposeful reveal is meant to create a sense of arrival at a significant place.
Related: Sustainable Oasis Nakaniwa Marries Minimalism and Color
The centerpiece bar flows from the interior to the exterior. A large floor-to-ceiling board-formed concrete fireplace separates the bar from the formal dining area. A white-tiled open kitchen and raw bar are also visible to diners. The restaurant’s two wings extend perpendicular to the main space. These wings create a glassy jewel box effect that feels like part of the golf course. The wings shape an outdoor courtyard in between that offers seating and a fire pit.
The interior uses a material palette rooted in the local environment. Traditional steakhouse booths are covered in mossy green and mushroom leather. The flooring is made of end-grain Douglas fir, and the bar seats and tabletops are wood. Oversized, industrial-style pendants hang from cathedral-height ceilings. A custom-designed wine library, holding 1000 bottles, flanks a second dining area and serves as a service station.
Staff experience is a priority in the restaurant’s organization. The design includes thoughtful arrangements of dining zones and substantial back-of-house spaces. This layout is intended to support the delivery of fine dining service.
