FALL PREVIEW 2014: UPCOMING TRENDS IN RESTAURANT DESIGN!
Four NYC firms give us a forecast for what’s next
by LAURA NEILSON
When it comes to opening a new restaurant, the recipe for success requires so much more than food and service. There’s the space to consider, from its overall structure and decor concept to the supporting components: materials, fixtures and lighting. It goes without saying, especially in a city like New York, teeming with restaurants, that there’s no specific design formula or prevailing style out there right now. We’ve seen plant-covered green walls, industrial-chic gastropubs, and airy, large-format French brasseries, as well as the rustic charm of communal tables — reclaimed wood, of course — come to the forefront in the past few years.
Looking ahead, we asked principals at design firms responsible for some of NYC’s most visible restaurants and bars right now to give us their thoughts on what’s new and exciting right now, and what we can expect to see more of.
The Elm by Parts and Labor Design
PARTS AND LABOR DESIGN
Recently completed projects: Partners Jeremy Levitt and Andrew Cohen are the team behind Atera and Paul Liebrandt’s The Elm.
What’s next: Porchlight, a West Chelsea-based Southern bar food concept and the newest addition to the Union Square Hospitality family; and Marcus Samuelsson’s forthcoming restaurant at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel in Bermuda (where they recently created a temporary pop-up space).
Design forecast: More considered and integrative design (ie, form and function) based around food trends like raw bars, front-of-house coffee/bakery areas, chefs’ tables and other high-low offerings. “Creating multiple different experiences within a single space,” says Levitt. Also noting that while “using reclaimed wood as a material is pretty much here to stay,” Levitt says there’s been strong movement away from the rough-luxe of late. “Looking ahead, the idea is to create a space that may have some nostalgia to it, but doesn’t feel convoluted — ‘timeless’ is really the right note to strike for moving design forward.”
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RESTAURANT INTERIORS
