Highpoint is an American Bistro located on 7th avenue between 22nd and 23rd streets. The ground level is 2000 sf with a sidewalk cafe and a backyard patio and the cellar is 750 sf with bathrooms, storage and an office. Market Design was commissioned this exciting project with all aspects of a full-kitchen restaurant design; dining hall, bar, kitchen with full equipment, storefront, custom furniture and banquettes, hvac package, dob permits / approvals and an amazing 32 foot long mural designed by the prominent British illustrator Miles Donovan. Market Design created a unique atmosphere by modernizing the historical American Bar typology with oak bar top and classical wood details into a clean wood panelled, geometricly gridded yet comfortable eatery. The gridded structure which we called "the trellis" not only created a canopy defining the bar territory, but also inhabited the backlit mural boxes. Moreover the 32 foot long mural, blending into the architecure became one of the rare examples of art and architecture interplay since the Rennaissance, such that, the two dimensional artwork was embedded into the geometry of the architectural body, much like the Sistine Chapel or Saint Pietro frescoes were embedded into the geometry of their inhabiting spaces. With historical references and contemporary spirit, the Highpoint is our prototype of the new American Bistro, unique in its balance between modernity and tradition.
