For Alain Allegretti’s newest restaurant, La Promenade des Anglais in New York, Brooklyn-based designer Jun Aizaki created a space that was pure Allegretti. “He expressed his passion for his cooking and his vision during our meetings, and this really got us going,” explains Aizaki, founder of crème. “He wanted us to create a space that reflects his heritage, and the soul of what he cooks through colors, textures, images.”

With that in mind, Aizaki crafted a space that was decidedly southern French Provencal, and one that blends into its Chelsea neighborhood. “We looked into inspiration from that region, we looked at nature, colors of the landscape, the sun, the water, as well as manmade imagery such as furniture, design, graphics, texture, and use of materials,” he explains. “We wanted the space to be a neighborhood hangout, an accessible, unassuming everyday restaurant that also adheres to very strict standards, and maintains with it elegance and class. We wanted the space to reflect the chef and his persona.”

Aizaki outfitted the space with vertically ribbed walls, blue banquettes, wood tables, white and black checked floors, and pops of yellow and orange., while details such as brass accents, custom lamps, tile work, oversized mirrors, warm lighting, and millwork complete the welcoming look.

“We had to find the right blue for the upholstery. The result is one of the most comfortable booths we designed,” Aizaki says. “The layout, which we spent a lot of effort on, also adds to the comfort and the booths maintain a sense of privacy, while the central table is flexible and buzzing with energy. The sound is well absorbed by the vertically ribbed wood walls so the sound level is comforting and you can actually talk in the space.”

The pièce de résistance, however, is the ceiling mural. “Since the beginning of the project we had said that the space needs a mural on the ceiling, the space just called for it. The collage is handmade by Fanny Allié a French artist who is also my wife, so we didn’t have to look too far. She sort of naturally got it. It’s inspired by elements from Nice, design, graphics, the beach, and film.”