Humble Sea Taproom. Santa Cruz, CA

Humble Sea Brewery evolved in the redwood groves tucked up in the Santa Cruz mountains.  Garnering more and more attention with their craft beer, the 3 founders decided to take the leap into a brick and mortar business model in 2016.  The Westside location was strategically decided upon in order to congregate with the already established community of tasting rooms and tap rooms in the locale.  Stripe was approached to design the interior and outdoor area for the taproom. The building they were moving into, once an office building, offered a great layout to have their brewery in back and taproom up front. It needed a lot of work to make into the bar the partners had dreamed to showcase their product. Informed by their playful branding, designed by one of their founders, Stripe designed in subtle nautical references that are the perfect backdrop for their beer service. The outdoor area is a huge amenity that lets them entertain twice as many people in the space on sunny afternoons (of which Santa Cruz has many). The outdoor is enlivened with on-brand deep blue paint and cedar outdoor furniture and fencing. 

Photo Credit: Tommy Parker 

Design Process:

Take a look at our Pinterest page to see where we got our inspiration for the design.

After presenting two alternative material palettes, the design was narrowed down by the team to the taproom you see today.