What do you get when you marry the styles of Blondie’s Debbie Harry and the Chrysler Building? The answer is the new Midtown Manhattan location of the American Cut steakhouse, the brand’s second in New York.
Chris Sheffield, founder of Philadelphia-based SLDesign had the task of merging the influence of 1970s glam rock with American Cut’s signature Art Deco-style dining room. Opening the new location in the Lombardy Hotel’s elegant ballroom, which Sir William Randolph Hearst once used for entertaining, was of considerable interest, but preserving the integrity of the historic venue was critical. “The biggest challenge was finding ways to reposition the space without changing many of the existing, historic elements such as the wall paneling and decorative ceilings in the bar,” Sheffield says.
The reality was the same for LDV Hospitality founder John Meadow, whose firm founded and owns American Cut’s locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. “It was a bit challenging trying to preserve the original decorative elements, while communicating a modern sensibility,” Meadow says. “The solution was largely the selection of the color palette and highlighting the key historical features, such as the crown molding and mirrored walls.”
The 6,000-square-foot eatery seats up to 130 diners under custom light fixtures designed by SLDesign that reflect the glam edge. “We wanted to find something that felt more ’60s, early ’ 70s, almost Brutalist with a hard edge to contrast against the Gothic Revival paneling and leaded glass windows,” Sheffield says. “The geometric forms relate to some of the other patterns in the space, and the components are repeated throughout in the other fixtures in the bar and seating areas.”
Metallic bronze paint helps offset the ornate elements at play in the new 36-seat bar, while a striking laser-cut chevron-patterned wall separates the dining room from a clandestine wine room, one of the options for private or semi-private meals.
To strike an aesthetic harmony, Sheffield and Meadow embraced American Cut’s brand standard of a masculine, sexy color palette that includes rosewood, antique brass, gray, and orange. Ebonized hardwood floors are another modification chosen to align with previous American Cut designs. Faux leather, burnt orange armchairs in the restaurant’s center, and armless charcoal chairs along the perimeter also reflect the brand’s DNA. “The charcoal is smart, contemporary, and functional along the perimeter banquet, while the armchairs in the center give a real burst of color and energy,” Meadow notes.
Black and white photographs depicting images of New York grace the walls. Photographer Langdon Clay’s 1979 study of 42nd Street served as an inspiration to Sheffield for its gritty and raw qualities that he hoped to carry through in the design theme. “It set the tone for the rest of the art program that captures this same spirit and contradiction,” he says.
