Located on the main floor of a newly constructed Hilton Hotel, Bar Artisanal
exhibits a sense of timelessness and connotes the grandeur of public spaces
of prewar New York. While the dramatic aesthetic of checkered ceramic tiles
underfoot and elegant iron latticework overhead transports the patron thru time,
the use of different tile sizes, oversized chandeliers, and mirrors on ceilings
create false perspectives thru space. These simple moves are part of a broader
exploration of material and effect to create intimate spaces within the desired
open floor plan of this 300 square meter space. These effects further create
vignettes around unique program elements within the overall space: the bar
at the front of the space is framed with an iron curtain, a pizza counter lends
closer interaction with the kitchen, and a small retail outpost. These smaller
vignettes then amount to a larger sense of hub, and fulfill the sense of a grand
central food station.