The Brooklyn Museum's New Café is a Masterpiece of Its Own — With Fanciful Decor by Over 12 Designers

On the occasion of its 200th anniversary, the Brooklyn Museum — a leading institution with continent-spanning collections, including works by American sculpture pioneer William Rush to Kenyan-born British studio potter Magdalene Odundo and French painting disruptors Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, and Paul Cézanne, among others — has tapped local studio Office of Tangible Space to envision a new café where "food, art, design, and community" meet.

Known for their highly inventive approach to interiors and product-focused projects that bring the human side of design to the forefront, the Brooklyn and San Francisco-based duo Michael Yarinsky and Kelley Perumbeti have transformed the sun-blessed front pavilion of the museum into a playground for artistic dialogue and creative innovation. This quirky hub joins the best New York design hotels and the plethora of trendy New York restaurants for design lovers in confirming the City That Never Sleeps as one of the world's foremost design capitals.

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Recently featured in our Can't Leave Without column, Office of Tangible Space has borrowed from Brooklyn's vibrant cultural fabric to birth a destination that, like its hosting institution, will unite people through art and design exhibitions and "experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act." Rooted in seven key principles that define it as a place open to all, "courageous, joyous, and playful", and conceived to leave a positive mark on the lives of visitors, the café design unfolds across a series of winding "islands and streams", immersing the public in a striking exploration of color, texture, and form.

Weaving together beautifully geometric bespoke wood furnishings and metal tables by the duo and just-as-whimsical furniture contributions by some 20 other acclaimed designers — from Raf Simons' tactile upholstery for Kvadrat to Patricia Urquiola's spectacular Bolon rug collaboration — the location is a masterpiece in its own right. With archipels of seating areas constellated by round-shaped, cozily soft footstools, thriving plants, and organic dividers, the coffee shop lets the pulsating-with-life outdoors of New York inside, becoming yet another manifestation of the metropolis' creative genius.

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Magically punctuating the entire surface of the café are one-of-a-kind stools created by ten artists who share a deep connection to Brooklyn. Co-commissioned by the Brooklyn Museum and Office of Tangible Space, these curious wooden seats — embellished with otherworldly woven scenes, mesmerizing motifs, and skillful details — bear witness to these emerging designers ' irreverent understanding of craftsmanship and their ability to rewrite its definition.

At once functional and fantastical, these handmade additions, brought to the audience by Cody Hoyt, Vincent Jackson, Minjae Kim, Emma Kohlmann, Gracelee Lawrence, Kim Mupangilaï, Sarah Nsikak, Ellen Pong, Allan Wexler, Chen Chen, and Kai Williams, were placed there with the goal of "engaging the senses, sparking conversation, and creating a connection between the creator and the audience".

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At the Brooklyn Museum, pastries and baked goods, freshly made sandwiches, soups, and salads, and the locally brewed hot drinks of Parlor Coffee too will be elevated to art form under the guidance of established restaurateur and sommelier André Hueston Mack and his neighborhood restaurant, & Sons. Also on offer will be a tantalizing selection of domestic beer and wine, making a visit to the latest culinary hotspot in town worth adding to your list of best things to do in New York City this fall.

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