The only thing I love more than design is food. It only seems natural that my heart flutters with pitters and patters when I stumble across a restaurant where the delicious design rivals the elegant menu. Tartinery is one such place; this clever little space, and source of French bistro food, is just one more reason to visit Manhattan.

I want to devour the industrial elements, the tables embellished with pragmatic typography, the texture of exposed brick, the soft powder of a chalk menu, and rough, raw wood. And, yes, that’s a living tree growing comfortably under high ceilings, flanked by reclaimed wood benches. It’s beautiful and savory, and we haven’t even touched on the menu (which is also, well, beautiful and savory).

Here’s an excerpt from the Tartinery website…

Tartinery is the modern version of the traditional French bistro. Its concept, inevitably, revolves around the Tartine, which can be described as a classic and gourmet open-faced sandwich served on a razor-thin slice of toasted bread. Of course, our feature bread is the well-renowed Poilane country bread from St Germain-des-Pres in Paris. We have taken a no fuss approach to French cuisine by going back to basics and letting the ingredients do the talking. The menu is simple, healthy and authentic. In addition, we also offer typical salads, seasonal soups (hot & chilled), homemade desserts, freshly squeezed juices and a unique selection of boutique and organic wines. The entire menu is chalk-written on the wall above the concrete bar. Chalk walls are also found in the restrooms, where customers can leave their own personal messages. The industrial decor is a tactful blend of New York classics and european soul. Raw and reclaimed materials form the roof of the restaurant and contribute to the retro contemporary feel.  We seek to promote a culture defined by “retro-innovation” – to capture the best of the past and merge it with the best of the modern. This notion symbolizes the perfect equilibrium between traditional catering and an innovative business model tailored to today’s consumer needs.

Tartinery has been added to my Manhattan to-do list (along with Interieurs). There is only one question left. What do I get my hands on first? The misty flour of Poilane country bread or the chalk residue from the message I will undoubtedly leave in the restroom?

(This scrumptious restaurant was discovered on Haute Design.  Images from the Tartinery website via Haute Design.)

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The Waterhouse hotel in Shanghai is an industrial gem, salvaged from the spoils of war. The four-story hotel was built from a three-story Japanese Army headquarters from the 1930s. The Chinese architecture firm NHDRO (Neri & Hu Design and Research Office) made a series of perfect decisions to arrive at the gorgeous boutique hotel. Existing raw concrete and exposed brick were preserved, and new steel additions draw on the industrial skeleton for relevance.

Modern architecture combines seamlessly with old industrial components to capitalize on the location – a rooftop terrace offers adjacency and intimacy with the Huangpu River and offers gorgeous views of the glamorous Pudong skyline.

A unique relationship between spatial divisions exists at The Waterhouse. This quote from NHDRO explains, “The interior strategy is expressed through a blurring and inversion of the inside/outside as well as public/private, creating a disorienting yet refreshing spatial experience for the hotel guest who longs for the extraordinary.”

(Beautiful photography by Pedro Pegenaute.)

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