Anonymously located on the ground floor of a nondescript commercial building in the heart of NYC’s TriBeCa neighborhood, Atera is an unassuming exercise in exclusive, intimate and above all unique dining. The design concept is purely based on our own interpretation of the chef’s experimental and intensely refined approach to food. While complex and calculated in its conception and execution, the end result of the design is modern and subtle in its articulation. The details are then something to be discovered through the experience itself, revealing an undeniable connection between the design and the food.  The intention is that the two should work together to fully enhance the total experience.  And although the space is quite intimate, we’ve established two distinct social and sensory experiences between the bar and the communal table below the living wall.

It was equally important to embrace the idea of foraging in seeking out ideas and materials which are naturally occurring and reinterpreting them. Our experiment was to exploit the symbiotic relationships within each handcrafted piece in order to derive something unexpected and sophisticated from that which is organic, natural and familiar. In addition, we found it important to incorporate an expression of modern industrial details developing a notion that this perhaps couldn’t be achieved anywhere except for here.

Below the restaurant exist two other undisclosed experiences accessed only by a private keyed elevator. At the end of a long corridor, near the kitchen, is a library lounge, which acts both as reprieve and study for the chef to develop ideas, but also as private tasting room for special guests and chefs alike. Turn the elevator key another direction and it accesses an exclusive bar and lounge. An intimate subterranean room, it’s akin to an underground study with its juxtaposition of stark concrete walls and luxurious custom furniture, lighting and finishes. At the far end of the space is a petite, walnut bar, with bespoke bar cart at one end completing its form. The cart then rolls out for specialty cocktail service to guests throughout the space. The room was designed to create a tailored, unique and memorable departure from the communal dining experience above.