My thoughts on L’Apicio

Restaurant design, especially in New York city, is a great feat.  Beyond lighting, shelving, frames and trinkets, a restaurant owner must make decisions about the silverware, glassware, countertops, seating, and probably most importantly, the kitchen layout to apease the chef.  My good friend is a New York food stylest (her portfolio, danaatthetable.com will make you salivate!) and shares a building with L’Apicio.  She gave me a nice walk through yesterday and we discussed all of the design elements of the restaurant.  A few things to note:

The lighting.  Above the dining tables are low-hanging fixtures, each a different shape. All the fixtures are the same color, height and texture, so the shape makes them unique without being distracting. The large lamp-shade fixtures are hung in clusters of three at different levels and appropriately take up space with the high ceilings. Recessed lighting and glass shelves make the glassware shine.

The flower arrangements. New York restaurants often have large branches or flower arrangements at the bar.  L’Apicio cleverly used an elevated vase so not to block visibility of the bar with a large arrangement.  They also used bundels of cotton plants which go well with the rustic decor.

Empty Frames. Some people don’t like the empty frames, but I’m a fan.  They fill wall space without looking cluttered.

L’Apicio is a great new restaurant and comes highly recommended.  Read about it on Eater and Grub Street and definitely try all the pasta!