At Cucina Alba and Alba Accanto, journey to Italy’s coast without leaving New York
Cucina Alba and Alba Accanto, a vibrant restaurant and an elegant bar respectively, have been designed by GRT Architects and Prince Street Hospitality co-founder Cobi Levy
![Cucina Alba New York restaurant interior](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Bwvbsyd2AhWwWiTkq8Pmq8-415-80.jpeg)
On an already eye-catching corner of Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood resides an Italianate power duo, Cucina Alba and Alba Accanto – a vibrant restaurant and holiday bar respectively – that will whisk even the most seasoned Mediterranean travellers away to the bel paese. Designed by GRT Architects together with the concepts’ co-founder, Cobi Levy of Prince Street Hospitality, the two venues are located side by side on the ground floor of Thomas Heatherwick’s Lantern House. Distinct, yet complementary, both these culinary destinations capture the polish of the Italian north, while blending it with warmth and brightness of the south.
Inside Cucina Alba
At Cucina Alba, the restaurant’s interiors evoke the joy and vigour of an Italian vacation. With Heatherwick’s distinctly faceted bay windows on one side of the space’s L-shaped footprint, GRT Architects located banquettes around the restaurant’s perimeter to create a terrarium-like space by the windows, lush and richly planted with an array of found objects and follies interspersed between. Accented with pale oak millwork, radiused panelling, soft tones of coral and butter as well as a sandy-toned terrazzo floor, the restaurant’s welcoming yet elegant interior is amplified by the chrome curvature of Marcel Breuer’s 1928 ‘Cesca’ chair, which has been paired with caned backs at the bar and upholstered chenille fabric in the dining room.
Custom-designed lighting by GRT Architects, in the form of sconces with handpainted lampshades and articulated coral pink arms, adds another playful gesture to the lively space that continues through to the anodised aluminum curtain that separates the private dining and main restaurant space. Filled with artwork sourced in collaboration with art advisor Elizabeth Marguiles, a sprawling mural by Alex Proba and custom pottery and handpainted tableware from Crita Ceramiche and Cuorecarpenito, the space transports visitors to fantastical, idyllic climes.
The entrance amid the distinctive windows of the Lantern House building by Heatherwick Studios
Alba Accanto bar offers both intimacy and glamour
Next door at Alba Accanto, the journey continues, this time with the seaside spirit of the Italian coast. The more intimate space continues where the cucina left off, now with hits of blue and coral and a travertine floor instead of terrazzo. Behind the statuesque quartz bar, deep portals have been carved out and paired with corduroy glass for a more luscious feel. Topped with a tighter striped ceiling as well as a mix of upholstery in suede, wool and leather throughout, Alba Accanto feels especially evocative in its private dining room, which glamorously combines a high-gloss ceiling and walls clad with textural concrete ‘Flutes & Reeds’ tiles of GRT Architects own design.
‘The design of Alba Accanto is exuberant and maximalist in style, utilising bright colours to reflect the vibrance of Italian coastal cities like Positano, while the design of Cucina Alba is polished, contemporary, and warmly inviting with wood accents, embodying the soul of Milan,’ says Levy. ‘We wanted to capture the distinct atmosphere of each city, and with Accanto, we achieved that same sense of vitality but with a maximalist approach.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Inside Two Fifteen, Ian Schrager and Nur Khan’s New York bar
Two Fifteen at New York’s Public hotel captivates with sultry boudoir interiors and a four-stage cocktail menu
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Famed steakhouse Beefbar opens an art deco-infused outpost in New York City
Beefbar’s first US location finds a home in an impressive 1920s Tribeca building, boasting interiors by Humbert & Poyet
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Inside the lavish, members-only Core Club New York
Core Club opens a new flagship in New York, boasting top-tier hospitality and entertainment, and a terrace with panoramic Manhattan views
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Warren Street Hotel is a colourful marvel in downtown Tribeca
The Warren Street Hotel boasts a distinct blue façade and eclectic interiors by Kit Kemp Design Studio
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
San Sabino offers mellow Italian-American dining in New York
San Sabino debuts in New York’s West Village, helmed by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, with interiors by GRT Architects
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Fried chicken fever? Coqodaq knows how to do it
Devoted disciples of Korean fried chicken can worship at Manhattan’s Coqodaq, designed by the Rockwell Group
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
New York restaurant The Wesley’s interiors reflect its plant-forward menu
At New York restaurant The Wesley, living walls, wheat stalks and pressed flora adorn a trio of starkly different spaces designed by Elmo Studios
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Bondst Hudson Yards promises intimate Japanese dining in NYC
Bondst inaugurates its second location, facing the Hudson River, following the success of its flagship location in NoHo
By Sofia de la Cruz Published