Coperaco Café restaurant - New Jersey, USA

The Urby housing brand – Ironstate Development’s pioneering lifestyle-oriented approach to the rental market – has already made an impression in locations like Staten Island and Jersey City. With its latest development in Harrison, New Jersey, the brand has transformed two blocks into a miniature community that’s not only accessible to its residents, but also commuters travelling on the PATH train or to Newark airport alike.

The residence’s main lobby is a particularly attractive draw: located beside the main entrance is an inviting café operated by local coffee roasters Coperaco Coffee – the first of its kind. Housed within a freestanding, peaked roof structure designed by the Dutch firm Concrete, who was also behind the development’s overall aesthetic, Coperaco Café exudes a rustic farmhouse vibe with its serene colour palette and hanging greenery.

Separated into two components, one half of the space comes armed with a marble bar and high tables for a quick pit stop, a large communal table further in with magazines at the ready and a garden room with seating, tables and a grand piano set around a 16ft tree. The second contains a living room and library, filled with sofas, board games and a wide range of literature that together, serves as the ideal home away from home.