Ceiba is the newest venture of the owners of DC Coast and TenPenh, and so it should come as no surprise that its interior is sleek and sophisticated.  And yet, when one thinks of the hot, tropical climates on whose spicy, tangy, Latin cuisine the Ceiba menu is based, it might come as a surprise that Ceiba’s décor is not a burst of sun-drenched rainbow colors. 

Instead, it is a sleek interpretation of the modern, urban Latin America that so impressed owners Gus DiMillo, David Wizenberg, and Jeff Tunks when they traveled south to research the flavors and feeling of Mexico, Central, and South America in preparation for launching Ceiba.  They returned to Washington determined to capture the same cool and understated look for their new restaurant, and once again, turned to designer Walter Gagliano to implement their vision. 

Quiet, textured shades of cocoa brown, burnt red, ice blue and sage green distinguish the walls of the five distinct areas of the multi-level restaurant.  Other surfaces are lined with a subtly figured limestone from a quarry in Merida, Mexico, and large expenses of ceiling are covered in natural canvas awnings, reminiscent of a tropical marketplace.  The tables, chair frames, and bar area are a rich, dark wood, and the chairs are upholstered in a creamy faux leather that is cool to the touch and restful to the eyes. 

Against these calm neutrals are placed a number of judiciously chosen splashes of color.  The floors of the dining areas are carpeted in a handsome, stylized meandering vine pattern of green on brown with flashes of pale blue that recall the rainforest floor and sky.  Bold geometrically patterned tiles chosen in Mexico give certain sections of the floor a colorful, quilt-like definition.  The most visible banquettes are upholstered in a mellow print of palm fronds and orchids.  A sparkling sky-blue elliptical dome defines the ceiling of the dining area facing G Street, and, in the same space, the Colorado Building’s original curved-glass bay windows are graced with dramatically fanned seven-foot high birds-of paradise.   

Aurelio Grisanty, the artist whose bold and colorful murals distinguish the interiors of DC Coast and TenPenh, was once again commissioned to create original wall paintings for Ceiba.  His large-scale primitive-style painting encompassing an entire wall of the lower dining room pays tribute to the majestic Ceiba tree, prized in Latin America, for which the restaurant is named.  The vibrant style is repeated in a prominent oval frame inset above the seating in the front dining room.  Parrots soar over sunny vegetation in a broad-stroked vision of tropical color. 

Many of the restaurant’s accessories are not just inspired by, but actually come from Latin America.  Terra cotta serving dishes were imported from the Bahia region of Brazil, and the gualaveras – the waitstaff’s traditional cotton shirts – come from Mexico.  Many of the light fixtures are from Brazil, although the overhead lights in the front dining room were custom-made here in the States to look like long trays of candles suspended from the ceiling, to approximate a look that the owners found enchanting in South America but were unable to implement given the fire codes in place in Washington...   

The black-and-white photographs of Havana hanging in the pale green dining gallery are the work of the United Artists Coalition, a non-profit group of artists who travel to remote areas of the globe, teaching their trade to young people.  Their efforts are supported through sales back home, and a number of the images purchased for Ceiba are in fact the work of budding teenaged photographers. 

So welcome to Ceiba – a little bit of the tropics in Washington’s historic Colorado building.  Cooler than you thought, perhaps, but with flashes of Southern fire, and every bit as smart as you’d expect from a restaurant associated with DC Coast and TenPenh.