CHARLIE’S
ASTORIA, NEW YORK
CHARLIE’S | Hospitality
ASTORIA, NY
575 SF | Interior / EXTERIOR RENOVATION
It is a rare treat to be able to design spaces on adjacent lots, for the same client, with similar program, to do different things. In this case two very different spaces to serve a common goal of hospitality to the Ditmars neighborhood of Astoria patrons. With the Bonnie on one hand—an early DCP project with lots of space, lots of height and an adjacent garden— and its smaller, shorter neighbor to the east on the other, Charlie’s became an opportunity to embrace the core aspects of this retail spot. Instead of “lacking” the girth and expanse that the Bonnie had been designed around, Charlie’s could be intimate and cozy in a way that its older cousin would struggle to achieve.
Residents of the big apple would likely attest to there being something very “New York” about spaces that sit a few steps down from the sidewalk. While not the same as a back-alley speakeasy, there is a warmth that comes from descending from the pedestrian thoroughfare into space that feels local and pulled away from the streetscape with the help of a small, sunken front yard to host a handful of seats. Walking through the door to a ceiling that almost instantly pops down beneath the residential units above, the idea of trying to pull one’s attention away from the looming ceiling was quickly dismissed, opting instead for making the thing that you can’t help but see into something worth looking at. With a combination of glossy surfaces and warm wood, the linear design pulls through the space from front to back with subtle gestures that reference the bar top in space and pull down to engage the back bar.
Decidedly more of a cocktail bar than its compatriot, Charlie’s goal the became simple, warm materials to reference its casual intent that were offset by streamlined details to elevate a classy drinking environment. Neither ultimately ends up winning, but in the end there is nothing to win. It was about a balance rather than a struggle — and a unique spot for a great drink
