Keen Restaurant

Zen and the Art of Carpentry

Where do you go to find inspiration? 

What drives your spirit to climb to your highest potential in everything you do? 

Do you wake up and relive your yesterdays as if you were stuck in a pattern of repetition? If so, it may be time to get onboard with the ever changing world around you and embrace the infinite possibilities of the unknown. 

To be an organic creator is to take every waking moment as your greatest inspiration, to utilize the power of being in the present moment. All your power exists in the eternal moment that is now. If you're stuck reliving the past, or worried for the future, you are further away then you could ever be from the field of infinite creativity. 

To get into the zone and find your true creative power, you must let go of everything and be fully present now! 

When Loro Bros was given creative freedom, and tasked with creating a unique restaurant in the swanky Rittenhouse section of Philadelphia, we stayed true to ourselves and created everything organically. After many challenges and over three years of dedicated work, we unveiled Keen restaurant in November of 2017.

The restaurant has since changed its name to Midnight Iris, and despite many more challenges due to the pandemic, she had to close her doors for many months, and has since become by appointment only for private parties. We can only hope all her visitors grace her presence with the energy of the present moment, and appreciate the integrity and the love so masterfully woven into every surface.

1st Floor Entrance

*Photo curtesy of Phillip Drucker Photography

Dining room

*Photo curtesy of Phillip Drucker Photography

Women's Bathroom 2nd floor

*Photo curtesy of Phillip Drucker Photography

His and Hers Bathroom doors

2nd Floor Bar front

Sun is Shining Bar inlay

2nd Floor Bar 

2nd Floor Lounge with bookshelf door

1st Floor Guest Bathroom

*Photo curtesy of Phillip Drucker Photography

2nd Floor Bar

*Photo curtesy of Phillip Drucker Photography

Custom Bar Tops 

1st floor Bar

A project like this doesn't happen without an entire team of dedicated trade partners, working in less than ideal conditions, battling parking restraints, dealing with the horrors of filing city permits and sometimes working on top of each other to get it finished. A masterpiece like this is never done without having a ton of fun behind the scenes, despite all the blood sweat and tears it takes to get there.

OUT WITH THE OLD - IN WITH THE NEW

If you think about it, many people settle for what they already have and aren't willing to change mainly because they don't want like the idea of having their lives

disrupted.  Living through a major bathroom renovation is a pure example of one of those situations where most people aren’t willing to endure  the inconvenience even if it means that they will have something better when it is over.  Yes, we are talking about doing the following for about 3 weeks: taking showers the gym or at your mother-in-law’s house, sharing one bathroom with 3 or 4 other people, having workmen constantly coming in and out of your house, the dust and dirt, etc. Yuck!

Then again, think of the possibilities…..

BEFORE..

                                                                           DURING...

                                                     
                                                                         AFTER...

TEAR THE ROOF OFF

Although an overly busy schedule got us off to a bit of a rocky start, the Springfield Renovation is now in full swing.  With a little help from our friends at West Caln Real Estate, we were able to kick this project into high gear after the major delays of another job nearly derailed our whole operation.

After the roof comes off

Back under roof

Life is an Artistic Expression

Loro Brothers Contracting began eight years ago this month with it's first project: building a cabinet. The cabinet came to life with a mural painted by my younger sister, Anna. To celebrate eight crazy years, Anna and I will team up to offer 40% off all Artistic Murals for Loro Bros Clients and Friends this year. Artistic talent runs deep in our family bloodline. My drawing ability may be rusty, but using residential properties as my canvas has been very rewarding. Anna's artistic talents are not limited to painting, but she is by far the most accomplished painter among her nine siblings. Her murals range from simple nursery animals or nature schemes to complex recreations or original works. Together we can create you a unique masterpiece. Furniture, architectral salvage, mirrors, picture frames, and other fixtures can be custom painted to your specifications. Contact Loro Bros today to view a portfolio or to schedule a free consultation visit.

Some of Anna's Work:

Painted Cabinet

Sunset From the Art Museum Steps

The Academy of Music

Birch Tree

Mekong River

A Tornado in Delco?

The mini tornado/hail storm in Deleware County on June 24th was over just as quick as it came pouring in. Insane winds followed by a down-pour of golf ball sized hail and heavy rain was enough to cause more storm related damage this area has seen in my lifetime.

Luckily very few injuries were reported despite the danger of trees getting tossed around as if they were as light as a feather.

Because of this damage, our area has new roofing, siding, window screens, downspouts, gutters, windows and more being installed. If you need an estimate for any storm related damages and don't want to put your faith in all of the out-of-town contractors flooding in, give us a call.

This house in lansdowne was built around this elm tree long ago. After 108 years of providing shade, the elm snapped like a twig in the heavy wind.

Here's an inside view of the elm tree.

Sorry to see the tree go, and most of the roof with it. Luckily the house is all back in order now.

My truck got hit when (4) giant pines turned into weapons of mass destruction.

This incident certainly kept my auto body guys busy. This Dodge has plenty of life left in her now that she's been repaired.

Porch Rebuild

Although it seemed like an overwhelming task, the repair of this termite & water damaged porch is now progressing. The stone has been repaired, a concrete slab was poured for the crawl-space and the framing is underway. We plan to restore the porch to it's original beauty, with the exception of a few modern upgrades. We'll keep you posted on how we advance.

May The Force Be With You

Buried deep underneath the floor of the Highland Ave. Porch was this 1977 Luke Skywalker figure. He almost ended up in a concrete slab, but luckily he was unearthed before the cement was poured

Highland Ave Porch Rebuild

After removing the roof, walls and floor from this porch, the team prepares to put the pieces back together.

Lou the Plumber - Springfield Bathroom Renovation

Lou, our plumber of choice, knows how to get the job done. With over 50 years of experience under his belt...he is the guy to call. Pictured above is Lou and a freshly insulated bathroom. For optimum insulation we used cellulose, which is recycled newspaper mixed with Borax, a flame retardant. Cellulose has a better R value than standard batted insulation. See...we put the morning paper to good use.

See below for how Loro Bros. transformed a bathroom in Springfield into a showroom gem.

Let's see how we did.
Click on the pictures for a larger view.

New Kitchen Remodel - Villanova, PA

This has been one of my favorite projects. When you have a homeowner that is willing to buy the best materials, a masterpiece can be created. Great Client. Great Job.

Let's see how we did.
Click on the pictures for a larger view.











Kitchen FlyBy
Let's take a stroll through the new kitchen.