OVERVIEW

Staff at Northwestern High School in Kokomo, Ind. are dedicated to going the extra mile for their students. When a recent school-wide survey found that students found the cafeteria to be “standard public school,” “not notable,” and “institutional,” they decided to do something about it. The school turned to its foodservice provider, Chartwells, for recommendations on a remodel, which brought them to Chartwells’ consistent design and furniture partner – Palmer Hamilton.

 

 

OPPORTUNITY

The renovation largely involved giving the space a more open feel. Remnants from a time when the cafeteria doubled as an auditorium (small windows, white-grey color scheme and tiered steps) were still present, crowding the room and detracting from the students’ experience. Palmer Hamilton’s design concept needed to support the architectural changes to these features by promoting a modern, open look and taking advantage of the increased natural lighting.

 

 

SOLUTION

Palmer Hamilton’s design team effectively worked with the architects to harmoniously deliver a space that exceeded student expectations. Elements of the design included natural wood finishes, a variety of seating options, additional lunch lines and soft lighting that all work well with the openness of the new space. The new design is intentionally limited in school colors, which principal Tim Shoaff said was done to “give them a space at school that doesn’t feel like school.” And students agree. Comments on the new space have made a clear improvement from “institutional” in the initial survey to “elegant,” “bougie,” and “Starbucks-like.”

 

 

 

 

 

Photos of opening day courtesy of Kokomo Tribune.