#Resturant design 360 full#
#Resturant design 360 windows#

It’s making sure every customer is getting their money’s worth.”įor Benjamin, it’s second nature to think about how bodies navigate spaces and what would be considered welcoming and accessible to all people yet, despite Americans with Disability Act requirements, it’s long been perceived as optional for everyone else. “We have a lot of customers who have compromised immune systems, and if someone called and said, ‘I need to have 6 feet of distance,’ we could make that happen,” Benjamin says. Every table is designed to be accommodating, physically and philosophically. Many of the things they had wanted from the start - completely touchless features in the bathroom and a dining room with movable tables and chairs to accommodate wheelchairs - just made even more sense in the COVID era. But with the exception of an outdoor dining area, they didn’t have to change anything about their design to adapt to the new ways we interact with space. It lacks that intimacy.”Ĭontento has been in the works for years, and its owners didn’t plan to open during a global pandemic. ’ When the bar is high, it’s like a wall. I can see customers, they can see me, it’s more intimate. “And people think accessible design will affect the aesthetics… We have fantastic bartenders, and they all say, ‘I love the counter seating. “We’re image conscious in the restaurant industry,” Benjamin says. They’re the most popular seats in the house. Next to the bar is a lower counter with five chairs, designed so someone using a wheelchair can just pull up and Benjamin can serve guests eye to eye.

#Resturant design 360 full#

Benjamin has used a wheelchair since he was 25, and this is the first place he’s worked where he can do a full 360-degree turn.Įvery detail in the restaurant has been considered so that customers of all ability levels can comfortably enjoy the space, which has been busy since it opened in June. But if you ask him what his favorite part of the restaurant is, he’ll tell you it’s the area behind the bar. Benjamin will probably be there, too, working the busy room, pouring wine, and making sure his guests feel welcome.

#Resturant design 360 windows#

Orb-shaped pendant lights hang over the bronze bar, and the storefront windows open wide so that the interiors and the outdoor dining shed feel almost as if they’re part of the same space. And he has succeeded: A long, yellow banquette hugs one of the exposed brick walls, and navy blue wallpaper with gold accents is on display in the back.

When the sommelier Yannick Benjamin was planning his East Harlem restaurant Contento, he told his architect that he wanted to make it feel like home, a simple place where diners would step inside and instantly feel comfortable.