Il Bambinio | Hospitality
New York, NY [Landmarks District]
1,500 SF | Renovation & Storefront

The client often talks about his creations at Il Bambino as simple, but elevated. His synthesis of high-quality ingredients with innovative combinations propel his meals beyond simply sandwiches to a unique and memorable dining experience. The modern nature of his menu does not disregard the depth of culture that exists behind the panini, but rather builds on it, using a foundation of precedent as an opportunity for reinterpretation and evolution. We approached the space in the same way.

For as long as there have been sandwiches, there have been shops to sell them and New York has its own facet of architectural history for the atmospheres surrounding this noble art form. Though we wanted to feel at home in a city full of history, it was just as important to us that the materiality and definition of the space was speaking to its place in the present. Tin ceilings and tile floors may reference older elements in an urban dining experience, but here they’re paired with fresh compositions with new materials. The articulation of white millwork helps to step the scale of the space down to the individual patron before being infilled with a warmer palette of oil rubbed bronze, walnut and butcher block. Each dining experience was paired with a slightly different form of lighting, with the goal of having the back of the restaurant being one of the brightest spaces rather than the darkest—a similarity to the garden frequented by the client’s Astoria patrons.

Our hope was that New Yorkers come to Il Bambino and find more than just another sandwich shop just as they'll sit down and find more than just a sandwich.

Project Team: T. Caine & T. Germann