Textural and Immersive – New York Grill by CTRL Space

Dark and brooding, New York Grill takes its name and inspiration from the immersive, elevated New York steakhouse experience. CTRL Space takes an encasing approach and, through a textural journey of materiality and tactility, creates an approachable enclosure to dine and escape.

Through a close partnership between designer and owner, New York Grill emerges in its Newmarket locale in Auckland as a capture of the essence of the New York dining experience. A balance is met between the fine dining and silver service of some of the city’s renowned steak restaurants and a more familiar family affair. The result sees dark and textural surfaces invite guests in and retain that same warmth through the duration of the meal. CTRL Space utilise a sensory approach in applying lighting, spatial planning and select textures to create a unique offering and bridge two opposing dining experiences, carving its own sense of place and charm in the process.

Bronze hardware and raw stone are a welcomed break from the dark tonality and add elements that will patina over time, showing wear and the narrative of use.

As a collaboration between builder CI Projects, CTRL Space and Hire Plants, New York Grill is imagined as an elevated experience, made richer through the darkened and moody interior. Breaking away from a trend focused approach, the space is more traditional in the inclusion of dedicated booth seating, lowered amber lighting and exposed bulbs. The attention to crafted timber and steel also takes a departure from recent trends. A wall of leather cuts is arranged as a prominent focal feature and becomes an artwork installation of its own, sculpting the surface through a scalloping affect. The combined use of timber and leather adds further richness and the textural movement in the rendered walls allows the light to interact throughout the day.

Though intentionally casual, the space has a formality embedded which aids in defining movement through. Materials from vintage New York butcher environments are used, bringing a sense of the familiar and utilitarian into the space. Bronze hardware and raw stone are a welcomed break from the dark tonality and add elements that will patina over time, showing wear and the narrative of use. References to classic drying meat racks are translated into how the wine is held, served and saved and in how the lighting is arranged overhead. The elevation of all of the built-in furniture also acts as a final nod to the butchery environs, where for sanitary and cleaning purposes, these spaces needed to be cleared, resulting in legs being integrated.

The combined use of timber and leather adds further richness and the textural movement in the rendered walls allows the light to interact throughout the day.

New York Grill combines its many references with ease and makes its placement in Auckland feel intentional and responsive. CTRL Space has inserted a respectful nod to its many New York preceding influences, extending the legacy locally.