How to make space feel alive (like La Mercerie in New York)

Photo courtesy of Robert Wright for Mercury Cafe

Design we love

A long pre-COVID afternoon, we sat laughing with Vintner’s founder Daughter April Gargiulo at steel-and-blue-velvet banquets at La Mercerie in New York, the sun leaning over a table filled with lovely dishes of mare and anchovy-vanilla butter toast (without Probably cool), eggs in the small fraction, plus a bottle of champagne. Gargiulo, like any other design fanatic we know, always ends up at La Mercerie because it’s gorgeous and delicious and there’s nowhere like him on earth.

Created by Roman and Williams Founders And GP Collaborators Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, not just a restaurant but a design store (you can purchase any of the items you eat or drink directly from your table) called Guild, which also houses a stunning and innovative flower shop in the front of the space. Few of the gorgeous 360-degree restaurant designs: Even during COVID, crowds of tourists still get their design fixes for snapping photos of the gigantic, deep blue entrance subtly decorated with greenery. The basement, of all places, is one of the most adorable corners to die for in the entire space – the goop once threw a relaxing and glamorous skincare launch party.

You can take inspiration from space in a number of ways, and not all of them include a raised aisle (something Standefer and Alesch stumbled into midway through the project) or a talented French chef like Marie-Aude Rose. Mix patterns, periods, and effects with confidence – easier said than done, of course, but that’s one of the things you just have to do Act Instead of theorizing or looking for a formula – it is the essence of any Roman and Williams project. “It’s about finding a thread between different things,” says Standefer. “And an open mind about contrast. On a personal level, our favorite elements of contrast are nature and culture.” Here, some design parts from this incredibly inspiring space.

1 The nature of the contrast
With culture

Image provided by Adrian Gaut

“This is a lot of what supports everything we do,” says Standiver. “Our Reed Candles happened because I picked this trunk I loved in the garden, and on my birthday, Stephen carved it for me. Along with the idea of the classic English candlestick, the two play around with each other. Another way to do this is to take a piece of china porcelain.” And put a wildflower in it. Nature can soothe culture, and vice versa. “

2 A single color could be the thread between them
Elements, as well as texture or matter

Image provided by Adrian Gaut

“At La Mercerie, we have this gorgeous glossy, aqua-blue door, and it opens up to an airy kitchen in vibrant, light shades of blue, after which the banquets remain another shade,” she says. “Then when you get to Guild it’s darker and more neutral – a new space with a fresh mood. But different blues connect the different parts of the room together.” The same goes for texture. “People are walking around the union – they’ll buy a white tablecloth and white napkins, and we’re like, ‘Mix it up! Try blue with white, or mix some gray, “says Standefer.” The combined texture will bring it all together. “

3 Modern and vintage items
Play each other, as you do
Eastern, Western, or
Raw and refined

Image provided by Adrian Gaut

Opposites can be a canvas for each other, as a pale blazer can play an amazing role in dark hair. “One thing becomes a punctuation for the other – you give it something to bounce off of,” Standefer says. “The thin cup is so pretty with a rough, raw napkin.”

4 Mismatched pools
From glasses exude a bonus
Live magic

Image provided by Adrian Gaut

“Nobody has a perfect set of glasses. I like the idea that there are so many different makers, so many different styles, but the fact that they’re all made of glass ties them together,” Standefer says. “We do this all the time at the tables at La Mercerie. Think of two different paired glasses – maybe a brother and sister. You can break a glass and replace it with a different one from a different company and enjoy that contrast. On Valentine’s Day (the day New York City again allows you to eat at Indoor), we put delicious Morello cherries in champagne: They are very beautiful, they are even more beautiful in different size glasses together on the table.

5 Around your entrance
With plants on both sides

Image provided by Adrian Gaut

When you walk in or out of La Mercerie, you feel cuddled by a giant bouquet just for you. Last summer, when outdoor dining became the only option, designers filled planters with all kinds of hydrangeas, lavender, and sage, turning SoHo sidewalk into an almost tunnel of greenery in Paris. “It was about bringing nature to life,” says Standiver. “For me, any design is about activating someone’s senses: I want plants to grow and candles burn – I want life.”

6 Make a meadow with
Your table

Image provided by Adrian Gaut

“This is the easiest way to make flowers,” says Standefer. “Find one flower you like – what’s in season, what calls you – buy a bouquet and put it in several vases. One vase has one stem, the other has three, one tall vase, and the other is a cup you love, or a goblet, and he’s making a meadow of flowers On your table. “

7 Stay free

“If something is so perfect and on the nose too, it loses a part of its life,” says Standiver. “Kohyo Rinka cups and plates – They are from Japan, but you probably can’t quite put them in.” “Rinka” means “flower”, and they are based on the shape of the flower, but are subtle. Let the character of each item appear, then play with contrast. “

Image provided by Adrian Gaut

How to eat at LA MERCERIE: Currently, you can personally try La Mercerie in two ways. Gather on tables under the heat lamps inside the bush aisle that now lines the perimeter of the restaurant (we did recently and kept warm the whole time, despite the 40 degrees a day), or pick up one of the epic outing dinner for two to bring home – romantic, French and French roast chicken And there are new crepe meringues to try to believe. After February 14th, there will be indoor (social distancing, of course). Either way, you can wander around Guild and get inspiration – or buy anything from bowls and donuts to a stylish sofa covered in cinchilla.