16 Ways to Get the Iconic Look of Your Favorite Restaurant at Home
No reservations required.
Updated Oct 12, 2018 5:03 PM
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With some restaurants temporarily shuttering (and others sadly gone for good), we’re especially missing gathering in a cozy eatery over a glass of Chianti more than ever. But that doesn’t mean you can’t replicate a restaurant’s ambience—and menu!—as you shelter in place. In fact there’s never been a better time to create your favorite spot’s feel right at your own table.
Whether you have a grand dining room that seats 12, a charming kitchen nook, or that one IKEA table that does double duty as desk and canteen, get inspired by these iconic Big Apple dining rooms for your next meal at home. Attempting their cuisines—or just, you know, ordering in—is up to you.
Made in Americana
Hankering for the old-school country club charm of Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar? Translate the warmth of the cognac leather banquettes, hunter green walls, and equine-themed decor by layering your table with dapper tartans, sumptuous forest-inspired hues, and a hint of glamorous gold. Top it all off with polo mallet cocktail picks that are practically begging for a 5 p.m. three-olive martini.
Brasserie Beauty
Jazz up a decadent steak frites (or diner burger) by taking a page out of Tribeca’s favorite French-inspired neighborhood bistro, the Odeon. With rattan chairs, vintage match strikers, and sleek fluted flatware—all in a forever-chic palette of black and lipstick red—you can bring that Parisian je ne sais quoi to your very American dining room.
Lox to Love
Right now we could all use an endless supply of the bagels and matzoh ball soup served at Russ & Daughters Cafe, an extension of the 107-year-old appetizing store on the Lower East Side. But we also would flock there for its interior design, a modern azure-themed spin on a ’50s luncheonette. In your own kitchen, go for a mix of diner-inspired pieces, like rustic wood serving boards (perfect for slicing and serving), chunky cooler glasses, banded porcelain dinnerware, and schmear-ready ramekins.
That’s Amore
Make Sunday’s spaghetti supper worth dressing up for by emulating the sophisticated throwback vibes of the Italian-American red sauce joint Carbone. Set the scene with hand-painted ceramics, an ornate set of beautifully detailed silverware, and San Marzano–red checkered napkins that can double as a liner for the bread basket. Buon appetito!
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