Sandy Springs restaurant serves up 'Moments of Delight'

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - If it’s true that you initially eat with your eyes, then The Select in Sandy Springs sure knows how to serve up a first course.

The popular restaurant and bar is already Insta-famous for its indoor hanging garden, with a swirl of stems hovering above the heads of bar patrons. And owner David Green says making the space a highlight of the restaurant was always in the plans.

"We knew that Sandy Springs really needed a classic, beautiful bar," says Green. "And we wanted to make it a place that was interesting to be in because there’s so many interesting people here."

But as Green began work on Damsel — his upcoming art deco restaurant and cabaret venue at The Works on the Upper Westside — he met production designer Bradley Bergeron, a partner and director of research and strategy at Thrive. And with Bergeron’s creative vision, something new began to blossom for The Select.

"He invited me to meet about Damsel in this space," Bergeron recalls. "And all the while we were talking about things that were related to Damsel, ideas just started percolating. And it was like, ‘You know, there are things you could do in here, as well, that would really make an impact.’"

Using one large screen on the ceiling and four smaller screens in frames along the wall, The Select’s bar is now an ever-changing landscape. Bergeron created high-level projections and used precise mapping to make the screens come alive, with subtly animated artwork and dreamy images from nature. The screen on the ceiling, for example, creates the illusion of a glass atrium, with views including vivid green trees swaying in the wind.

"We’re projecting, right? So, everyone’s been to a movie," explains Bergeron. "In a movie, you’re projecting from one source onto a big screen. So, that’s kind of what you get up top here. There’s one projector to one screen. But when you look over at the wall, what we’re actually doing is kind of notching out or compartmentalizing little windows within that bigger screen to map to each of these picture frames."

"He calls them, ‘Moments of Delight,’" says Green of Bergeron. "And it’s about discovery. People are sitting here, and they’re having a drink, and the next thing they know they look up and say, ‘Hey, those trees are moving!’"

The Select is located at 6405 Blue Stone Road, Suite 200, in Sandy Springs — for more information on visiting, click here.