There’s much to admire about Raf’s, the new downtown NYC Italian dining room and bakery.
Among the many details to appreciate: the zinc bar, vintage candlesticks converted into lamps, and the use of crisp double tablecloths for, as Post Company puts it, “a healthy dose of formality.” The latter is a look that’s easy to replicate at home, so we decided to find out more.
Photography courtesy of Post Company and Raf’s.
Raf’s by day: two-toned tiled walls and stone-inlaid café tables up front, and golden mohair banquettes and yet-to-be-dressed wooden tables in the back.
The dining room set for dinner the color of the mohair Post Company partner Leigh Salem notes knocks down pretense in favor of celebration Raf s...
...co owner Nicole Vitagliano tells us they sourced the tablecloths with a black bourdon stitched stripe from Tessicasa suppliers of Italian linens to restaurants and hotels
“White tablecloths ground Raf’s in a European tradition,” says Salem, “while the layering of fabrics and striped border provide a subtle wink of whimsey and reinvention.” Yes, the food at Raf’s is superb.
The dining room has a painted ceiling and Flora Chandeliers by In Common With, the Brooklyn lighting studio that celebrated its fifth anniversary at Raf’s—see more from the workshop in Objects of Desire and Trend Alert: Frilly Lights that Hang Like Flowers.
Raf’s is at 290 Elizabeth Street in NYC.