Inside a Wild, Futuristic Restaurant Design in Bushwick
An interior designer, known for her work for clients like Mary Louise Parker and Mariska Hargitay (and in part for her brood of creatively precocious and cool daughters), chooses as her first restaurant project an eatery in Bushwick from a local entrepreneur. It could be a plot line from a self-consciously hip HBO television series. Except, in this case, life is imitating art.
The designer in question is Lorraine Kirke (whose daughter Jemima starred in the series Girls) and she has designed the space of Gemelli, the latest outpost from Dan Cipriani, whose seafood spot Sea Wolf is beloved by creative types and Brooklyn diehards. Open now and comprised of 30 indoor bar stools and 20 outdoor seats (the architectural details were done by the studio First Third), Gemelli pairs homemade Italian fare with a strong mixology program. Kirke has imagined the environment as a cross between Italian futurism and a Tuscan villa. A cool blue palette and vine-colored walls evoke the Mediterranean, while the concrete bar and geometric wooden beams add an industrial touch. The bathroom is covered in black mirrors. Here, Kirke chats about the soon-to-be hot spot.
What drew you to this project?
This is my first restaurant/bar project. I normally prefer a cozy bedroom, but the challenge was interesting to me.
How did this process compare to residential interiors you have done?
Well, the codes alone were a lot to follow! There are many more details, people to consider. In essence, it is really similar in that you have to consider the clients’ taste, the location and the building restrictions. Here, I would say the difference is we needed to consider the demographic of the customer.
What inspired you to go with an Italian-futurist design for this space and what specific pieces and elements did you utilize to illustrate it?
The First Third guys, Craig and Bryan (who designed and fabricated the bar), had already been working on the design. Their rendering really reminded us of Italian futurist architecture with those strong lines from column to ceiling. To be honest, it kept evolving because we were unsure of how to tie in indoor plants, which were directing to more of an Italian villa on the coast. Once Dan decided on the Mediterranean cuisine, that's when everything came together—elements of all things Italian!
How did you choose art by Elvis Barlow-Smith for this space?
Elvis was recommended to Dan for another space he was working on and it turned out his aesthetic was really perfect for Gemelli. Once we started to work with him, he quickly understood the vibe we were trying to achieve even though we only had like three words to describe the vision.
Why were the vine-covered walls an important element for you?
This was another element already in the works, so I guess you can say it is part of what really informed the whole vibe of the space, part of imagining an Italian courtyard.
In what specific ways would you say your design speaks to the Bushwick neighborhood?
Bushwick seems to keep changing and evolving (I've always been in Manhattan), so it kind of gives you license to go wild. I would even say it is so unlike what is already there that it makes it more attractive. Specifically, with this space, once you get to the rooftop, it has such a wonderful view that kind of, to me, encapsulates what Bushwick is. There is a scaffolding lot right below the view of the city and that juxtaposition was a plus for me.
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