Project:
Once home to a grocery store, barbershop, tavern, and “Juke Joint,” Sis’s Tavern stands as a testament to North Brentwood’s resilience and self-sufficiency. As a volunteer designer through a pro bono initiative organized by the Neighborhood Design Center, I led the interior design and branding efforts to reimagine the space as a vibrant, contemporary venue—one that honors its rich legacy while welcoming a new generation.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 21, 2023
Mood Board:
Following an engagement session with the North Brentwood community and stakeholders, it was clear that the vision was to bring Sis’s Tavern back to life with the same energy it once held as a beloved juke joint. This mood board captures that spirit—featuring bold hues, archival black-and-white images of Buddy Guy and joy on the dance floor, and a visual rhythm that echoes music, movement, and legacy. Every image was chosen to reflect the vibrancy, soul, and cultural pride we aimed to weave back into the space.
Typefaces & Color Scheme:
Although this was primarily an interiors project, establishing a cohesive visual identity was essential—and that identity extended into the presentation materials. The typeface Kristopher captures the elegance and edge of Sis’s Tavern with its exaggerated serifs, irregular curves, and flamboyant ligatures, making it an ideal choice for headers and subheaders. Corbel serves as the perfect supporting typeface—its clean, modern sans-serif design offers a strong contrast to Kristopher’s ornate style, ensuring readability in paragraphs and captions while maintaining balance throughout the design
The color scheme for Sis’s Tavern blends timelessness with vibrancy. Deep blues provide a rich, grounding foundation—evoking depth, history, and musical soul. Accents of golden yellow and warm camel bring energy and warmth, creating the bold punch the space needed to feel alive again. The soft warm neutral white ties it all together, adding lightness and allowing the bolder tones to shine without overwhelming the design
Examples of presentation slides
A detailed look at how the visual identity was carried through in presentation materials.
Wall Graphic
I had the pleasure of designing this mural to honor the musical and cultural legacy of Sis’s Tavern. Created in Photoshop and Illustrator, the piece celebrates the energy and soul of the space with radiating golden beams, a deep blue backdrop, and the stylized portraits of Black cultural icons Pearl Baily, Duke Ellington, and Sis her self, Marie "Sis" Walls.
As the lead designer, I was responsible for concept development, photo editing, color palette selection, and preparing scalable artwork for mural application. This project showcases my ability to translate historical storytelling into visual design, work across digital and physical formats, and create cohesive brand expressions within an interior space. An image included below shows the final installation.
Elevation image of mural design
Photograph of community stakeholders, including mayor of Brentwood, celebrating the opening of Sis's Tab
