Honest Materials: 5 Ideas to Steal from Brooklyn's Astarita Pizzeria by TBo - Remodelista
Photography by Jonathan Hokklo, courtesy of TBo (@tbo_architecture). The Astarita of Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, serves its pies with a helping of affordable remodeling ideas. Architects Thom Dalmas and Bretaigne Walliser of Remodelista favorite TBo (for Thom Bretaigne Office) specialize in the domestic sphere, but when longstanding clients, Carmine and Tina Casale, decided to open a pizzeria, the couple agreed to design it. 1. Mix custom elements with off-the-rack supplies. The Astarita is located in a 1931 yellow brick building that anchors a sunny corner at 797 Fifth Avenue in Greenwood Heights. TBo built a new entry using salvaged glazed wooden doors (sourced from New York Old Iron of Brooklyn) and extended the dining area onto the sidewalk dining area with Ikea’s Tärnö Bistro Sets; $79 for a table and two chairs. The interior is filled with natural light courtesy of the priciest item on the punch list: custom cold-rolled steel windows (locally fabricated by Arista Steel) that line two walls. 2. Hang curtains as flexible partitions. Ab0ve: “There’s a lot of overlapping activity that happens in a compact space here,” Bretaigne tells us. We opted for a simple curtain to create a little bit of privacy. 3. Draw and paint on your walls. “Brick walls impart warmth to the room, and Tina and Carmine love the rough texture and color of the existing masonry shell (we repointed as needed to ensure the mortar is in good shape)—but we also needed something decorative for the walls,” says Bretaigne. They decided to introduce a suite of small murals to “act as architectural interventions in the space, softly twisting the experience but remaining peripheral to the dining experience.” Artist Will Karlen, (who happens to be Thom’s nephew) has worked at Eleven Madison Park as “resident artist” creating commemorative sketches and mementos for patrons and was recruited for the commission. Each small section was taped off, plastered, and then hand painted on site. The murals show, among other things, flying angels, imagined landscapes, Italian sparrows, and sprigs of plumeria. 4. Set a pleasingly simple table. The ash tables and benches were built for the space. The glasses are from Ikea, and the plates and flatware are from Restaurant Depot, one of many restaurant ware sources notable for affordable, basic tableware. 5. Upgrade the floor with inlaid tile. “A poured concrete floor is perfect for a high traffic area, but the space needed something extra,” says Thom.