Falu House will celebrate Scandinavian culture and cuisine through thoughtful design and delectable menu items. Falu House will serve bakery items like a Swedish cardamom bun, a berry frangipane croissant, cinnamon rolls, and Norwegian cheesecake. Falu House will also serve open-faced smørrebrød sandwiches and seafood-based small plates. The overall menu will be fish and vegetable-heavy, to stay true to the ingredients that define Scandinavian culture.
What Now NY connected with Falu House’s Leah Flannigan to learn more about the concept. Flannigan hails from Minnesota, a state known for its sizable Swedish diaspora, and is eager to open a café that honors her roots.
“There are some high-end Scandinavian restaurants around the city, but not so much here in Brooklyn,” said Flannigan. “I wanted to start Falu House because this is the kind of place I was seeking out. The concept really got started as dinner parties hosted in my one-bedroom apartment. Then I started doing pop-ups and then a catering operation. This location on Norman Ave. will be Falu House’s first permanent location.”
Flannigan summed up the mission of Falu House as introducing people to Scandinavian food in a cozy and relaxed environment where people can have a fika. ‘Fika’ is the Swedish word for a coffee break. Similar to a siesta, fika is a kind of break in the day to have coffee, eat a pastry and hit reset. The design of Falu House is aimed to make people feel comfortable and getting back in touch with nature.
“We are looking to have a Nordic nature-forward atmosphere at Falu House,” said Flannigan. “I want this to be a Nordic oasis for people in the community. Another integral part of what we are doing is emphasizing sustainable values and innovations from the Nordics. I want my business to be as sustainable as possible, which means I am being very thoughtful about who I bake with, the providers I am working with, the compostable materials I am using, and the sourcing of the ingredients I cook with. I want to be a leader in this area by creating a playbook for food service operators to push their businesses in more sustainable directions.”
The word ‘Falu’ refers to a distinctive red color of the cottages in the Swedish countryside. These iconic red buildings with white trim will be a motif throughout the space. White stone countertops will lean into the aesthetic and photography of Scandinavian landscapes and wildlife will feel like looking out of a window at the beautiful Nordic scenes.
“We are using a lot of Nordic modern aesthetics such as light wood with black accents,” said Flannigan. “The general design is nature-forward in a contemporary way. There’s little details like shelves made of birch tree trunks that remind me of being in Sweden.”
As Falu House is sharing the Norman Ave. space with Teak NY, the overall interior design will be highly curated. The owners of Teak NY work exclusively with mid to small-sized brands, electing to prioritize artistry over selling mass-produced objects.
For the deli and café, there will be approximately 15 seats spread over 3 tables and a bar rail. The bar will have several outlets for people wanting to post up and get some work done in the laid-back environment. Flannigan also shared plans to have some outdoor seating. With a few planters outside, the teams at Falu House and Teak NY want to create an al-fresco experience that emphasizes nature.
Construction at Falu House is still ongoing at the time of publication. Falu House is positioned for a July 19 opening.
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