Annabel Karim Kassar designs the new Ella Funt restaurant in New York

Desire of maximalism

The project by AKK Architects for the brand new New York restaurant Ella Funt is a love letter to the maximalist approach. A gamble perhaps, certainly against the grain of the trend that currently wants restaurant venues in the Big Apple devoted to an almost brutalist essentiality. Here, on the contrary, the gaze encounters cameos at the dramatic opulence of the New York clubs of the past.

Among the references that the architect Kassar wanted to keep in mind during the design there is, in particular, the mural work of the now closed 'Palio Bar' on West 51st which she defined as "of dizzying beauty"; the Tuscan restaurant housed a neo-expressionist work by Sandro Chia, who staged the entire wall of the 'Palio di Siena', a detail remembered with nostalgia by the most aficionados.

Nostalgia effect

Each environment - from the bar to the dining room, but also the toilettes - enjoys its own special interpretation. The vintage oriental tiles on the wall act as a watershed: to each one, its own.

A strategy which, supported by the numerous mirrored surfaces, helps to increase the drama of the place. The slightly illuminated bookcase, for example, acts as a bridge between the kitchen and the dining room, giving a sensation of sparkling energy typical of 1920s clubs.

The main dining room was conceived as a French Salle a Manger, enhanced by large-scale mural work painted by New York-based artist Marcus Jahmal. In addition to this space, devoted to a more formal and enveloping atmosphere, Kassar has reserved a room for those who appreciate moments with an 'easy' flavour, where they can enjoy organic wine, cocktails and small dishes, creating a unique point of interest and a of voyeurism - as if it were a meeting place to "see and be seen".

To complete the dominant sensuality, a lighting design project that embellishes.

The open kitchen invites guests to enjoy chef Nick Koustefanou's culinary theater; the bar area, on the other hand, is designed to change its connotations: while during the day it is a comfortable place to relax, in the evening it transforms into an intimate and lively place, with exclusive and private areas.