Finding Brass, the latest venture from owner/restaurateur Nick Hatsatouris, takes a little work. Accessing the NoMad brasserie involves traversing through the Evelyn hotel lobby, past a bar, and up a set of stairs—but don’t call it a speakeasy.

Crafted by locally based Islyn Studio, the interior design takes inspiration from New York City’s Jazz Age (with nods to France); however, the restaurant reimagines, rather than reproduces, the era.

The sophisticated space opened in October at the Evelyn, a historic Beaux-Arts building that debuted as Hotel Broztell in 1905. Struck by the grandeur of the rooms, Hatsatouris knew he wanted to create a brasserie that channeled the spacious, bygone restaurants of Manhattan.

He also wanted to incorporate the hotel’s location on Tin Pan Alley, a collection of music publishing houses that helped form America’s music industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. “We wanted to pay our respect to that history,” says Hatsatouris.

However, that didn’t mean turning Brass into a period piece. Islyn Studio founder and creative director Ashley Wilkins endeavored to “create a space that has longevity but feels like it’s already laced in the fabric of New York,” she says.

The result is a mix of contemporary and vintage touches informed by the French New Wave, a midcentury film movement that rebelled against tradition. The team preserved historic elements—including a circular skylight, bordered mosaic floors, and ornate millwork—while modernizing the rest of the space. For example, a color scheme of plum, raspberry, and pistachio—from the velvet berry-hued booths to the soft green floor—is evocative of the desserts on Brass’ menu.

Design twists also appear in the vibrant dining chairs and walls painted in a soft gray-brown. The tobacco-colored, petal-shaped chandeliers “felt like such a fun nod to the old smoky jazz clubs of New York City,” Wilkins adds.

To further reinforce this vibe, a retro piano is situated in the middle of the room beneath a restored skylight.

Large-scale, Cubism-like murals of the female form by artist Jessalyn Brooks add a sense of movement, too. Brooks, coincidentally a former jazz singer, painted them onsite.

“When there’s music playing and the candles are flickering, the space has this soulfulness,” Wilkins says.

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