Jay Paul Co.’s First Restaurant Buildout Takes Pride in California

The spirit of California is, figuratively speaking, fused into the fabric of Poppy & Claro. Dining room chairs and table legs on the outdoor patio blaze with the rusted orange color of our splendid state flower, the poppy. “Claro,” I learned, is another name for the wood of black walnut trees.

The restaurant’s design scheme incorporates milled woodwork throughout the space—but most noticeably in the form of a massive conference table made in the shape of California. Delegates seated at opposite ends of the state will have a hard time hearing each other’s arguments. There’s also a wall collage of a bear, our state animal, made by the artist Jay Kelly.

The restaurant recalls urban and suburban interiors from the late 1960s and early 1970s. That bygone era of avocado green refrigerators, Pi