At Cucina Alba and Alba Accanto, journey to Italy’s coast without leaving New York

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.

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.’

cucinaalba.com