In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a former fast-casual Chinese restaurant has undergone a poetic transformation to become Field Guide, a seasonal, farm-to-table concept from chef Tim Meyers, whose resume includes Eleven Madison Park, Blanca, and Glasserie.
The restaurant delivers a sensory-driven experience rooted in the pastoral nostalgia of Upstate New York, brought to life by Mammoth, a New York-based design-build studio led by Maryana Grinshpun and Jessica Maktal.
Rustic ease at Field Guide
Drawing from Andrew Wyeth’s paintings, Dutch still lifes, and the understated elegance of 19th-century pre-globalization restaurants, Mammoth created a space filled with softness and shadow.
Wyeth’s muted palette and painterly lighting inspired the atmospheric interior, which is marked by muted yellow floors, uneven illumination, and an inventive use of black throughout.
A modern take on wainscoting, made of aluminum channels and silver leaf, grounds the space in Brooklyn’s urban sensibility while nodding to traditional craftsmanship.
All in the details
An intimate dining room glows with custom levitating candles—a design response to Meyers’ unexpected decision to use tablecloths—which hover above tables and barstools like particles of light. Nearby, a hand-sculpted acrylic bar inspired by Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Appropriate Proportion installation reflects rippled light onto hemp stools.
The bar leads the eye to a large mural by photographer Oliver Jevremov, which resembles a Dutch still life reimagined with objects sourced in Williamsburg.
Banquettes from the space’s previous life were reupholstered in beige velvet, while new chairs offer a tactile tribute to Central New York, where Meyers was raised.
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