Taupe walls and walnut banquettes create a calming atmosphere in this wine bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, designed by California-based Studio Ahead.
Named With Others, the bar on Bedford Avenue specialises in natural wines from small-production, low-impact wineries.
South Williamsburg has seen a dramatic transformation over the past three decades – from creative backwater, to hipster locale, to commercial hotspot.
Owner Shanna Nasiri wanted to take her patrons back to the creative spirit of the neighbourhood’s heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
She invited Homan Rajai and Elena Dendiberia, founders of Studio Ahead in San Francisco, to design the interiors with a “rough around the edges” feel.
“This is not the Williamsburg of Hermès and homogeny, but of carefully selected wines served in a space of carefully selected artisans where you wave to the people you know across the room,” said Studio Ahead. “A neighborhood bar.”
The building’s weathered facade, complete with “scratches, graffiti, patina, grime”, was left largely untouched.
Inside, a soft-industrial aesthetic is evoked through elements like metal-mesh shelving behind the bar, fabricated by local company Wombat.
Small square tiles cover the floor and the sides of the bar counter, matching the Farrow and Ball paint on the walls and ceiling.
Along one side of the space runs a series of minimalist walnut banquettes with tall backs and thin seat cushions.
Georg stools by Chris Liljenberg Halstrom for Fritz Hansen, which feature cushions strapped to simple wooden frames, appear in two heights.
Artworks and objects dotted through the interior include a wooden vase by artist Ido Yoshimoto, and small dishes and bowl by ceramicist Katie Coughlin.
On the walls, cube-shaped washi paper lanterns by artist John Gnorski depict “Dionysian scenes of friendship and frolic”.
The minimalist forms and muted colour palette throughout the space offer a “soothing contrast to bright loud furious New York” according to Studio Ahead.
Williamsburg may have changed over the years, but it’s still one of New York City’s most popular neighbourhoods.
Recent additions to the area include a Moxy hotel designed by Basile Studio and a Kith store with an “industrial ambiance”.
The photography is by Ekaterina Izmestevia.
