Rockwell Group models Casa Dani restaurant in New York on Andalusian patios
Olive trees and terracotta tiles create the impression of dining al fresco inside this New York City restaurant, designed by local firm Rockwell Group to resemble a traditional Spanish courtyard.
The interior of Casa Dani, much like its menu, was conceived to celebrate the heritage of head chef Dani Garcia, who hails from the region of Andalusia on the southernmost tip of Spain.
Terracotta tiles cover the walls and floors of Casa DaniThe restaurant is one of two high-end eateries found in the Citizens food hall in Manhattan West, which was designed by Rockwell Group and includes a number of bars and fast-food joints.
Guests enter Casa Dani via a cosy lounge area with walnut parquet flooring, similar to what can be found in a typical Spanish villa.
The restaurant is accessed via a cosy loungeOne side of the room is dominated by a drinks bar with a countertop crafted from deep-green marble and a base clad in slender tiles of the same hue.
The other side of the room is panelled in stainless steel sheets, behind which lies the restaurant’s 30-foot-long kitchen.
A band of glass running through the middle of the panels provides visitors with a direct view of the culinary theatrics that go into the preparation of each dish.
Lantern-style lights hang above the tablesGuests must walk down a staircase with a leather-wrapped bannister to reach the vast dining room, where both the walls and floors are inlaid with terracotta tiles.
Paired with hanging plants, lantern-style lights and a smattering of olive trees, this creates the impression of being in one of the central open-air patios found in traditional Andalusian houses.
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Billowing lace curtains separate the banks of leather-upholstered seating, adding to the airy, al fresco feel.
At the rear of the room, a towering fireplace is clad in glazed emerald-green tiles. Its rippling form is meant to echo the restaurant’s ceiling, which is covered in a sequence of convex panels.
A huge fireplace sits towards the rear of the dining roomCasa Dani joins a number of hospitality projects that Rockwell Group has completed across New York City.
Among them is Wayan, an Indonesian restaurant filled with an abundance of tropical plants, and the Moxy Chelsea hotel, which houses a mix of zany bars, eateries and space-saving guest suites.
The photography is by Nikolas Koenig.
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