It took creative problem solving and imaginative design to convert a dermatology
practice into Brick & Tin, a popular neighborhood restaurant, bar and bakery in
Mountain Brook Village. Owners Mauricio and Susan Papapietro enlisted the design/
build collaborative of Birmingham-based Appleseed Workshop and KDag Designs to
renovate the former medical office that’s now Brick & Tin’s second location. Appleseed’s
director of architecture, Kyle D’Agostino, transformed the 2,650-square-foot space into
an inviting eatery that won a 2014 AIA Birmingham Commercial Design Award.

Not only was the building itself repurposed but also materials including the reclaimed oak bar and pressed tin tiles removed from a building near the original Brick & Tin in downtown Birmingham. Mauricio notes that the tiles are a visual reminder of the name and complement the wooden-beamed ceiling and reclaimed-wood farm tables.Discovering a load-bearing brick wall was an unwelcomed surprise. However, Kyle’s wife, interior designer Kathy D’Agostino of KDag Designs, thought of using the wall to enclose the bakery and make it a retail/pickup area. An archway cut out of the white-painted brick creates a passage from the bakery to the main dining room and bar.

The overall result is a destination where patrons enjoy seasonal, often locally sourced food
and drink in extraordinary surroundings, a place Kyle calls “a perfect melding of design,
gastronomy and the owners’ spirit.”