New York's Coolest Cafe: 11 Design Lessons from Dae in Brooklyn - Remodelista
Photography courtesy of Dae New York. If you were to scroll through the Instagram messages between Julie and myself, you’d find that mostly, lately, we’ve been sending each other posts from @daenewyork: a bow-bedecked pillow, teeny tiny pats of butter in the shape of fish, a gleaming stainless steel counter. The result is a space that’s intentionally simple in its components—a stainless-steel bar, blocky wood furniture—but with delightful, ever-changing details: plates stamped DAE, silverware sourced from hotels, a rotating array of handmade wares in the shop section. The corner space appealed for its brightness and location. 1. Select a timeless palette. 2. Mix knock-offs with the real thing. The furnishings were a group effort, designed by Carol and Suea and built out by creative friends and Carol’s husband, a menswear designer at JCrew. 3. Make stainless the centerpiece. In the back is a custom kitchen, all in stainless. Carol’s husband, Eric, helped with the stainless-steel table design and also introduced Suea and Carol to Seth Williamson, a set designer for JCrew, who built out the kitchen. 4. Take cues from hotel silver service. “The Plaza Hotel was a huge inspiration,” Carol says. We found someone who was a big collector who said, trust me, everyone’s going to steal these, so don’t get monogrammed ones. The silvery theme continues with all of the trays and serveware. One of the details that captivates: butter, recast. 5. Make simple things delightful. 6. Ask: Is it special? Can it live forever? Part of the space is reserved for a small housewares shop. The duo worked with Seth Williamson again to create the wooden shop tables. “We worked with a Korean artist named Kim Giseok of Tact, who did the stainless steel shelves on the walls,” says Carol. “Bojagi (보자기) is a traditional Korean wrapping cloth that comes in many different forms and is utilized for everything from wrapping gifts to food coverings and easy transport,” the duo writes on Instagram. 9. Don’t forget the sound system. The space set for a private party. In Dae’s early days, the pair played K-pop: “We were obsessed with this girl group called NewJeans, and this sounds silly but it was attracting too many TikTokers. They were just coming and dancing and it was getting pretty crazy, so now during the daytime it’s either ambient music or kind of moody goth music.” 10. Put your stamp on it. Carol and Suea hoped to create an “old-world hotel vibe”, from the days where everything—from the sconces to the silverware—bore the name of the establishment. A look at the menu, which is also frequently changing. Many of the elements in the interior are straight out of Korean cafes, though Carol says it’s not always recognized. It’s actually a traditional thing in homes in Korea: People eat on it, sleep on it, dry fish on it. 11. Put a twist on tradition. “There were some ideas we haven’t been able to do, like we wanted to do a rug on the ceiling,” Carol says.