CetraRuddy has completed its design for the new Brooklyn bar and lounge Sugarcane. Housed within the LEED-certified Empire Stores building in the DUMBO neighborhood, the space embraces the original bones of the Civil War era structure.
Warm and eclectic, the restaurant spans 9,000 square feet inside and 2,000 square feet outside, with a 15-seat bar and an open kitchen as well. The design features two-foot-thick schist walls, centuries-old wood rafters, aged brick walls, and prominent arched windows that overlook the East River. Metal elements such as sculpted zinc, acid-etched bronze, and hand-rubbed steel are complemented by antiqued Cuban terracotta and custom mosaic tiles. A large communal table crafted from wood beams sourced onsite anchors the private dining room, illuminated by a custom chandelier.
“Our instinct was to minimally impact this monumental space by celebrating the cargo warehouse’s elemental materials and its storied past,” says Nancy J. Ruddy, CetraRuddy’s founding principal and executive director of interior design. “New design elements highlight the cuisine through textural detail and vibrant color ensembles. For example, antiqued Cuban terra-cotta tiles are embedded in raw concrete, and hand-sewn fragments of South American caning create ledges for growing herbs used in daily cooking.”
