Though May 14 to 20 are the “official” days of the citywide NYCxDESIGN festival, nearly all of May is a sprawl of exhibitions, fairs, pop-ups, and parties sure to please anyone who knows their Cesca from their Chesterfield.
But even the most seasoned design buff needs help separating the wheat from the chaff—which is why, for the first time, AN Interior is bringing you our edit of the best showrooms, installations, restaurants, and landmarks across the city’s designated design districts in our insider guide, Deep Cuts.
And because there’s nothing like a local to really tell you what’s what, we turned to a few familiar faces for their tried-and-true picks across each neighborhood. See their responses below. Time to hit the streets!
Tribeca
Diana Darling
CEO/Creative Director
The Architect’s Newspaper
I moved in with Bill Menking to the loft on Lispenard Street in 1990. Tribeca was quieter then, almost unrecognizable compared to what it has become. I watched the neighborhood change over the years into something busier, louder, and flashier, but it is still my world. I’ve always stayed close to this pocket of the city. I’ve made some new discoveries, but other go-to spots have remained constants for decades. I rotate between Sawada Coffee, Happier Grocery, and Square Diner. I wander through the Asian food markets, stop into Muji, and pick up pizza from Grandaisy Bakery. I still rely on my parking guy at Broadway and Lispenard. And of course there are the old standbys that never disappoint: The Odeon, Takahachi on Duane Street, and Takahachi Bakery on Murray Street.
Alex Tieghi-Walker
Founder
TIWA Gallery
Behind the gallery facades and coffee shops, an older version of New York exists in Tribeca—one that only locals get to experience once the tourists and collectors have trotted home. I love the almost Hausmannian architecture of the loft buildings and former factories. (The faded, handpainted signage of the buildings reveals their mercantile and industrial past.) I’ll park myself for a Guinness at the bar at Nancy Whiskey Pub, a neighborhood staple since 1967; Walker’s on North Moore Street also serves a great Guinness, and I love the rowdy series of backrooms. After dark, Tribeca still has that little hint of Gotham that much of cleaned-up New York has lost lately.
Mauri Weneka
Founder
SCHWET
If it’s morning, head over to La Cabra on Lafayette Street for one of the best coffees in town and get two pastries: the cardamom bun and pain suisse. If it’s the afternoon—and you prefer to avoid lines that plague other hot spots—head to Manjul for coffee or matcha. South Soho Bar on Centre Street is a sleeper hit: It’s effectively an elevated dive bar. Their bartenders crush perfectly crafted cocktails, both classic and modern. At SCHWET, we host special events that you can scout on Instagram—think wine tastings in a robe and backgammon in the sauna.
Soho
Owen Nichols and Clara Syme
Codirectors
A83
For exhibition installation supplies, our favorite shops are OK Hardware and Canal Rubber. SoHo Art Materials is essential as one of the few remaining independent art supply stores. Our favorite buildings and interiors include The Judd Foundation on Spring Street, Aldo Rossi’s Scholastic Building, Acne Studios by Arquitectura-G, the Prada store by OMA, and Paloma Wool by Max Milà Serra. For food and drink, we like Sunrise Mart and Fanelli Cafe. Our dog Bizzy is obsessed with Lucia Pizza. Kenn’s Broome Street Bar and Balthazar are good too, but if Lucky Strike still existed it would be our number-one spot (R.I.P.).
Matthew Bremer
Founder and Principal
Architecture in Formation
We moved our design studio AiF to the heart of Little Italy, which is Soho-adjacent. My favorite coffee can be found at Who Is William White, the brainchild of Will Cooper. If my dogs, Noah and Moses, need a quick romp in the park at Grand and Lafayette, then I’m likely to stop in at Butler Bakeshop for one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city. We might wander east toward Elizabeth Street Garden too. Of course, I must pay homage to the shuttered emporium, BDDW (Bury Your Dead Downwind). If you don’t know them, join their online biweekly auction, and if you know them, you’re already addicted
Jon Thorson
USM Modular Furniture Brand Experience Director and CEO
USM, North America
Soho is a quintessential New York neighborhood where history and modernity meet. Everything is in constant motion. For clothes, I usually stop by IF, Blue In Green, 45R, A.P.C., and Prada (to browse beautiful clothes and architecture). And I may be biased, but the OJAS Listening Room we’ve installed at the USM flagship is a remarkable experience. I also like checking in on OK Hardware—their recent front window “art exhibitions” feel very true to the city’s spirit. For design, the collections at E.R. Butler and Raisonné are standouts. Food-wise, staples are Sant Ambroeus for coffee and Balthazar for weekend donuts with the kids. And I love taking friends to Raoul’s.
Flatiron
David Rockwell
Founder and President
Rockwell Group
The Flatiron reveals itself in layers. Poster House, just beyond the district, is a gem devoted to design that merges art and commerce, while Furnish Green stands out for both its beautifully curated vintage furniture and founder Nathan Hescock’s improbable beginnings selling pieces to students out of his ballroom dance studio. For dining, El Quijote remains a New York institution, lovingly revived with fresh energy. COQODAQ and Union Square Cafe, both designed by our studio, are also neighborhood favorites. As you explore, you’ll start to notice how the area’s historical past is omnipresent—in the cast-iron buildings that housed the first department stores, the illuminated Met Life Tower, and, of course, the iconic Flatiron Building that elegantly anchors the neighborhood.
Julian Legeard
Founder and Principal
Legeard Studio
Flatiron has this quiet tension between heritage and reinvention that I find very inspiring. I’m drawn to places like Remedy Place, which reframes wellness as a social ritual, and COTE Korean Steakhouse, where precision and atmosphere coexist seamlessly. Cosme brings a refined, contemporary energy to dining, while ABC Carpet & Home remains a timeless reference for materiality and craft. Even simply walking past the Flatiron Building reminds you how powerful form and identity can be when architecture is distilled to its essence.
Oliver Link
Partner
Selldorf Architects
We love having our studio in Flatiron—the neighborhood has so much to offer. I love the delicious Lebanese food at Café Zaffri at The Twenty Two New York or an old-fashioned counter lunch at S&P. ’Ino, from the owners of Bottino, is quiet and a great place to meet for an after-work drink. ABC Carpet & Home is always fun to browse for gifts or tableware. For other sources, I love the wood flooring selection at The Hudson Company, and I often find great furniture inspiration at Haute Living and West Out East.
Casey Baxter
Vice President and General Manager
HBF + HBF Textiles
Working in Flatiron means plenty of food options—and outdoor seating. Tenichi offers great prepared Japanese selections, and you can dine al fresco along Broadway or in Madison Square Park. Sugarfish delivers when you need a lunch that impresses without seeming like you tried too hard. If you’re feeling fancy, the Ritz Carlton Nomad is full of gems for drinks or dinner—reservations strongly encouraged. Carlotto is the best hidden gem for an intimate dinner. If you have a sweet tooth, Salwese shines and is very Instagram-worthy. And of course, drop by HBF for a coffee, a bathroom break, a terrace respite, or to shop.
Nomad
Michael K. Chen
Principal
Michael K. Chen Architecture
Nomad is really several neighborhoods intermixed and in close proximity to one another—and its unruly cosmopolitanism is what attracted us in the first place. The Rizzoli Bookstore is both beautiful and well-programmed with regular book talks and lectures. Upstairs, you’ll find Robert Stilin Shop, a gallery full of vintage treasures, contemporary art and design, and textiles arranged in a manner that is at once seductive and unbelievably casual. H. Theophile is an excellent source for custom hardware. Manhattan’s Flower District is still going strong; we’re there often. My own floral aesthetic might be best described as “Northern California yard trimmings,” and there is no better place to scratch that itch than 28th Street Wholesale.
Corey Damen Jenkins
Principal and CEO
Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates
Great showrooms in this area are not difficult to find! Of course, there’s the New York Design Center—make sure to get to The Gallery at 200 Lex for all of the antique vendors. B&B Italia is also a must-stop for some fabulous European inspiration. For restaurants, Clemente Bar above Eleven Madison Park is mandatory, but make your reservations ahead of time. Tusk Bar, Apotheke, and Upland are all favorites for our team. For some very fashion-forward finds, go shopping at Dover Street Market—a real if-you-know-you-know kind of place. And of course, a stroll through Madison Square Park is a great way to wind down from a busy day.
Dumbo
Mimi Hoang and Eric Bunge
Cofounders
nARCHITECTS
Our standout favorite spot has to be Burrow. It’s the best pastry shop in the city, and it happens to be in the lobby of our building. Pastry chef Ayako Kurokawa and husband Wataru Iwata deliver perfect French-Japanese fusion pastries almost every day. Continuing on a Japanese theme, Usagi has an inviting gallery space for grabbing an onigiri or traditional matcha; they also have an architecture bookstore. Just about everything—from the menu to the atmosphere—is great at Almondine. And finally, Gair is the coolest and most beautiful bar in Dumbo. Interesting drinks and delicious small bites are served in a stylish interior, masterminded by architect Kevin Cimini.
David Galullo
EO and Chief Creative Officer
Rapt Studio
From our studio on Water Street in Dumbo, there is hardly a lack of opportunity to eat, drink, and shop well. The forever-in-progress upgrade to the cobblestone streets notwithstanding, it is a wonderfully walkable neighborhood, with plenty to keep one nourished. My favorite lunch comes from a somewhat hidden gem just steps from our studio: Cafe Gitane in Vinegar Hill. The cafe vibe seems to be from another time, and the food is always as uncomplicated as it is delicious. Order my favorite—the smoked trout salad with black lentils and arugula.
Zeynep Arolat
Founder
ZAROLAT
First things first: a cortado from Arabica. Pain au chocolat or a slice of quiche from Almondine Bakery is always a treat. Then stop by our design corner with Hudson Wilder, Natural Selection, and Canton Projects for curated art and design. (There’s even more at AIR and Smack Mellon.) Order a Japanese tea at Usagi. Past the Washington Street photo spot, Jane’s Carousel is our little gem—really, the whole park along the water! We’re so lucky to have Kinjo for an amazing and affordable omakase. And you cannot end the day without Thea Grant for vintage shopping and Superfine for the finest fries and a dirty martini.
& Beyond
Alexandra Hodkowski and Alvaro Alcoce
Founders
Head Hi
Clinton Hill & Brooklyn Navy Yard
The canary yellow Steele House, built in 1845, is the largest remaining example of a wooden suburban mansion in the transitional Greek Revival/Italianate style in any of the city’s five boroughs. It retains all of its original architectural features—in exceptionally fine condition, which attests to the care it’s received over the years. At the Naval Cemetery Landscape, you’ll find a small native-plant meadow designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz that doubles as a human retreat and pollinator habitat. And stop by Steiner Studios at the intersection of Flushing and Washington, which is from the 1940s and features double Eiffel-esque radio towers, once used by the Navy but now a milestone between Brooklyn neighborhoods. All of these are a short distance from Head Hi.
Natalie Shook
Founder
Piscina
Red Hook
A mid-May visit to Red Hook should start at the corner of Van Brunt and Dikeman. Grab a coffee at Jamieri, the Georgian design–focused showroom, then stop next door at my gallery, Piscina. Turn the corner to San Tokki’s Cactus Club, tucked into a garden at 125 Dikeman, and pass Piscina’s cooperative studio along the way, where you’ll see designers at work. For another coffee, Abbotsford Road offers unmatched harbor views. Pizza at Hoek by Valentino Pier is a neighborhood favorite, followed by a drink at the most quintessential Red Hook bar, Sunny’s. For a truly beautiful meal, head to Cafe Kestrel, and for something truly unique: Pearl Street Caviar.
Laura Young
Managing Director
The Future Perfect
West Village
First things first: Before you start your day, make a stop at Arcane Estate Coffee on Cornelia Street. It’s the best coffee—I’ve actually heard it’s the best coffee in the world—and is so chic. I always like to catch a session at Village Gyrotonic. It’s changed my life, and I always feel taller when I leave. For lunch, Julius’ is a West Village staple that slaps and has definitely earned its place in the West Village canon. If you have a furry friend, stop in and grab them a little gift from Zoomies on Hudson Street—my dog Rigatoni loves to pick out his own toys there, and I love to indulge him.