Greek concept Avra Estiatorio has opened its third New York outpost within the historic Time Life Building at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Spread across 16,500 square feet, Avra Estiatorio Rockefeller Center comprises three floors and an alfresco space overlooking 6th Avenue. The design by locally based Rockwell Group opulently channels the Greek islands with a chic, white palette and elements of water and greenery. “The client wanted to reprise the hits of the original—like the open kitchen, market-style seafood display, and courtyard atmosphere,” says Rockwell Group partner Shawn Sullivan, “and create a modernized interpretation of a classic Mediterranean restaurant.”
A neutral, organic materiality of white oak, limestone, oil-rubbed bronze, natural linen, and rough-hewn stone shape the space into a refined Grecian courtyard beneath 30-foot-tall ceilings. Modern light fixtures suspended from the ceiling contextualize the scale of the interior as they meet robust trees peppered across the dining room.
“Avra Rockefeller Center infuses a sense of theatricality throughout, from the moment the guests enter to the framed glass and blackened metal open kitchen in the wine villa,” Sullivan adds. “The energy of the dining rooms and bar are on full display thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the building. At night, the space resembles a spectacular glowing jewel box.”
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