Donna isn’t just another cocktail bar to open in New York. The new West Village spot embraces a unique employee-owned model, which even served as a catalyst for its interior design concept by Brooklyn-based Michael Groth.
“This project is a coalescence of my background and interests—pulling from my art history training and Cuban-American upbringing while helping to create space for a democratic, equitable workplace, which will hopefully serve as a model for other restaurants and businesses in the years to come,” says Groth, who pulled inspiration from the Cuban Concretism and Brazilian Neo-Concretism art movements for the space.
Serving up Pan-Latin food and drink, Donna—a concept that originated in Williamsburg, but shuttered in 2021—is further characterized elements made by fellow worker-owned cooperatives. Custom wall hangings, for example, were created by Moroccan artisan cooperative the Anou, while employee-owned stone fabricator Brooklyn Stone and Tile crafted the bar tops.
Sustainable materials are another hallmark of Groth’s design. Bespoke pendant light fixtures were constructed from reclaimed embroidery hoops, and lamps suspended above the bar feature lampshades grown over the course of a week using Pleurotus ostreatus—or oyster mushroom—mycelium. “It was important to us to implement forward-thinking sustainable materials that utilize circular methodologies and healthy interior spaces,” he adds.
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