Quaker simplicity and restraint was the model for Brooklyn designer Joseph Foglia’s latest restaurant: Parish Hall.
According to Foglia, “The overall intent for Parish Hall was to create a simple space with natural architectural elements that wouldn’t dominate the diners’ experience. We were inspired by the ideals embodied in Quaker meeting houses, where the architecture was meant to be unadorned yet subtly distinguished.” Like its sister restaurant Egg (the popular farm-to-table brunch spot in Williamsburg), Parish Hall sources much of its produce from owner George Weld’s upstate Goatfell Farm (featured today on Gardenista). To learn more, go to Parish Hall.
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Above: Maple was used throughout the space and Foglia custom designed the furniture and architectural fixtures. The lights above the tables were originally from an old passenger train car, with custom stems and canopy plates added by Foglia.
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Above: Parish Hall is housed in a large industrial building in a neighborhood that at one time was all heavy manufacturing.
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Above: The lighting is all vintage, sourced from salvage yards and eBay. The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore Super White.
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Above: Early 1900s Halophane pendants found at a salvage yard in the Catskills hang over the maple bar.
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Above: The one exception to Foglia’s custom-designed furniture are the maple dining chairs, which were a design collaboration between him and Marc Pfeffer, a furniture fabricator friend who runs Restoration Studio. As Foglia notes, “We wanted to design a commercial-grade custom dining chair that was specific to this space while fitting the overall design aesthetic, yet within a very limited furniture budget. Nicely designed yet durable chairs are always a problem to find, so it was great to actually get this chair produced.”
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Above: According to Foglia, “The solid maple chair design was inspired by the design of a classic Shaker chair as well as the Prouve school chair and a Gunlock library chair. Its sort of a hybrid inspired by all three styles. We are actually hoping to produce this chair as a standalone product soon.”
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Above: Wall sconces designed by Foglia add to the Quaker-inspired interior, where the design elements have been kept to a minimum.
N.B. To see Foglia’s own living space, check out our recent Designer Visit.
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