For the design of the casual yet chic Out East in New York’s East Village, it all “began with a train car,” says Hecho cofounder John Kole. The Brooklyn, New York-based design firm drew inspiration from “the elegance of and culture behind passenger trains of the 1930s and ’40s,” he explains. The team also embraced a deep seaside influence, specifically “the coastal towns of Amagansett and Montauk” in Long Island, adds co-owner Anthony Serignese, who along with Peter Kane (both formerly of Beauty & Essex and Stanton Social) “wanted to tap into the beauty of that geography and food culture but also touch on the nostalgia” of the area, he says.
The first venture for Serignese’s Casual Hospitality, the two-story, 124-seat restaurant transports guests to the beach. Soothing blue hues in the stained concrete flooring at the boardwalk bar, for instance, reference sea water and mix with a custom-made boardwalk that hangs upside down along the ceiling. In other parts of the restaurant, a limited-edition 1855 map of Long Island Sound presides above banquettes with cushions in a twilight blue tone, as flannel carpet and a ’70s-era credenza give it a retro feel. As a contrast, the sunset room boasts a vintage 1940s crimson floral wall inspired by the saying “red sky at night, sailors delight,” which rises and curves over an oversized booth outfitted in pink upholstery.
It’s the downstairs beach house-inspired bar, however, where the theme becomes truly familiar and home-like. Mahogany shelves housing tchotchkes and antiques add warmth to the space, while globe pendants suspended over the bar draw attention to the original print of “After the Party” by Andy Warhol. To add to the nautical style, brass sconces decorate limestone walls, as banquettes upholstered in pinstriped suit fabric offer an unexpected, Old School charm.
The staircase joining the two floors features “an elaborately engineered brass railing that connects the floor to ceiling,” says Kole, giving it “a refined, residential quality” and leads to the inviting atrium below. Five two-toned panels in gray and blue nod to the work of artist Mark Rothko, while gray rattan banquettes with teal cushions “continue the color motif,” notes Serignese. Appearing like waves striking the sand along the shore, white and gray hexagon-shaped tiles form a curvaceous line along wood planks for the flooring. But it’s the more secluded and cozy outdoor pergola, built from century-old pine, that provides the best seat in the house to watch the last moments of the sun setting, he adds.
