Deco Food and Drink, New York Restaurant, NY Interior Design, Manhattan Commercial Building, Architecture Photos
Deco Food and Drink in New York
Dec 26, 2021
Design: Carpenter & Mason
Location: 231 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018, USA
Deco Food and Drink Restaurant
As the name suggests, the Deco Food + Drink takes its design cues from the Art Deco movement.
Throughout the design process, Carpenter & Mason consistently questioned how they can meld elements of the Art Deco movement with the existing design sensibility; the architects were never interested in simply replicating stylistic components of Art Deco. Carpenter & Mason kept the moves bit and dramatic, yet relatively simple by focusing on the geometry of Art Deco, without the fussy stuff.
When the Client took possession of the space, located in the McGraw Building, it was a series of 5 small, narrow retail stores that the architects combined into one 7,000 SF canvas. Built in 1906, as the home of the McGraw publishing company, our site was the first reinforced concrete concrete office building built in New York City and as such has a prominent column grid and a grand scale.
Inspired by the grand architecture and decorative scale of the Art Deco movement (and specifically its ties to the Viennese Secession), Carpenter & Mason architects sought to reinforce the visual prominence of the columns by anchoring the space with a large blue back-painted glass bar with brass detailing. The perimeter of the space is lined with food kiosks, which house a selection of food concepts from NYC’s five boroughs.
The ceiling is a series of white, coffered steps which seek to simplify and modernize the ubiquitous “stepped” Art Deco geometry.
Influenced by the geometric blue and white tiled detailing of Otto Wagner’s Wagner Villa – which is a mixture of exuberance and restraint – the architects sought to achieve patterning through materiality. Tiled blue exclamation points and “confetti columns” add a sense of playfulness and keep the space from feeling too stodgy or serious.
What was the brief?
Doris Huang (our Client) came to Carpenter & Mason wanting to create a very different type of food hall experience, so they immediately knew that they wanted to steer away from the typically industrial looks. She also wanted a certain sense of formality in the space and wanted the space to feel very New York without the space feeling too “old New York” or staid – and Art Deco came to Carpenter & Mason as the perfect way to achieve this, since we can create formality but also have fun with the geometry and be playful with their application of the graphic elements!
Not to mention that there are some great Art Deco buildings in the immediate area; Carpenter & Mason were particularly impacted by the facade of the Fashion Tower at 499 7th Ave, which is just down the street from the Deco and features an incredibly beautiful colored glass entrance. You can definitely spot hints of this influence in our bar design.
What were the key challenges?
This project opened in late February of 2020 – and we all know what the hospitality world faced shortly after. The space was forced to close shortly after opening and Doris made the painful decision to close the doors permanently – the architects were devastated to think that the project was ending without anyone having had a drink at the beautiful bar.
Luckily, the Deco experienced a renaissance and was able to reopen its doors December 2021!
Deco Food and Drink Restaurant in New York – Building Information:
Architects: Carpenter & Mason
Project size: 10000 ft2
Completion date: 2020
Building levels: 2
Photography: Andres Orozco
Deco Food and Drink, New York images / information received 261221
Location: 231 West 39th Street, New York City, NY 10018, USA
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Website: The Deco
