Vandal, NYC
Vandal is a new 12,000 sq ft restaurant, bar and lounge located at 199 Bowery Street, New York. Vandal is the latest restaurant lounge from the TAO Group and Chef Chris Santos. It celebrates the art, architecture, and food of global street culture from New York to Vietnam, to Barcelona and beyond, as well as the history and culture of the restaurant’s Lower East Side location. The two-level space includes a bar/lounge, restaurant, a garden dining area, private dining room, and cellar bar/lounge. David Rockwell and his studio are responsible for the architectural design, interior design, lighting design as well as custom furniture and fixture design
Rockwell Group’s design concept highlights the interplay of gritty and lush moments found in urban street life. The 12,000 sq ft interior has been conceived as a maze-like space filled with old, undiscovered private rooms and catacombs. The building’s entry, tunnel, lounge, dining areas, and art installations are intricately choreographed to create a sense of discovery in each room.
Hush, the renowned British street artist who created a series of murals in the Rockwell Group-designed TAO Downtown, worked closely with Rockwell Group to curate Vandal’s art program. In a nod to the Bowery’s history, seven internationally-recognised “vandals” have been commissioned to create site-specific installations inside and outside the restaurant. Using different mediums and techniques, the artists explore the possibilities of street art to create works that engage with Vandal’s built environment.
The San Francisco-based artist Apex, who is known for his colorful, abstract images, has dramatically tagged Vandal’s main entrance on Bowery from the marquee to the lower wall with the restaurant’s identity over the building’s black façade.
Inside the entrance, guests pass through Ovando, a dark, minimalist flower shop – a surprising and brief reprieve from the bustle of the street. A long, vaulted brick tunnel with bold black and white tiles running diagonally along the floors and walls leads guests to different rooms and experiences.
Guests are greeted at the end of the tunnel by an 11’-tall, breakdancing rabbit sculpture finished in purple lacquer inspired by the Krylon spray paint color Icy Grape, a discontinued hue coveted by graffiti artists. Nearby, a staircase set against wall with a metallic, antique plaster finish leads guests to the cellar.
Vandal unfolds as a sequence of separate experiences – from the Secret Garden, bar/lounge, and three dining areas on the ground floor to an intimate, secluded cellar-level bar/lounge. While each room is unique, the artwork is the star of the show and the rich, textured material palette plays off the murals, highlighting every piece.
Throughout the restaurant, Rockwell Group experimented with layering luxe and humble materials. Sumptuous design elements are set against a gritty, neutral backdrop. Portals along the tunnel allow guests to view the restaurant’s axis, providing a glimpse into the rich layering of materials and different experiences in Vandal.
Located near the tunnel entrance, the Secret Garden is an intimate dining area inspired by natural elements – flowers, birds, and outdoor gardens. A wall of glass garage doors can open the space to the sidewalk on warm evenings, while a row of tall planters filter the light streaming through the glass doors and provide some privacy.
A mural by Eelus painted on weathered brick arched portal doors suggests a faded façade of a historic building. The mural’s subject plays off the garden concept and the scale of the portals. Two end walls are covered edge to edge with applied wheat paste murals by Shepard Fairey.
Plush seating, a herringbone-patterned terracotta floor, and ceiling joists strewn with vines and string lights bring the outdoors inside, further enhancing the feeling of sitting in an airy private courtyard. Custom glass globe lights that contain gold butterflies cast beautiful shadows on the walls when lit.
Along the back bar, British artist Will Barras has painted a lyrical mural depicting overscale hands walking across the wall. Glass and brass shelving holding vintage decanters add a layer of depth, color, and texture to the wall.
A sculptural 17-seat bar volume composed of a bar top made from lapis blue granite with natural brushstroke pattern and a bar die made of slices of crown moulding finished in blue lacquer draws the eye to Barras’ work. Staggered pendant lights made from found, antique etched crystal decanters and stoppers suspended by gold chains cast a warm light above the bar, while neutral fabrics with pops of blue, cognac, and champagne further highlight the mural.
Across from the bar/lounge, a dining room framed in fabric ceiling panels that sit in between walnut beams and mercury glass pendant lights add elegance and warmth to the space. Plush Hollywood-style banquettes sit in front of a wall mural by Hush. Gold leaf glass globe fixtures with images by Hush etched out of the gold leaf coating provide a surprising graphic pop above the banquettes. Uplit expanded metal screen columns in between each banquette add a rhythmic break to Hush’s work.
A small room bathed in light mimics classic New York sidewalk vault lights. This transitional space between the middle and rear dining rooms features an espresso machine on a custom-designed rickshaw with a custom-painted cover by Apex. Between the bar/lounge and rickshaw room, seductive cobalt blue walls layered with cream-coloured New York-inspired lyrics painted by Apex draws the guest’s eye to a staircase that leads to the cellar.
In a second dining area in the rear of the restaurant, channel-tufted velvet banquettes define the perimeter of the room. Four oversized, 48” diameter brass dome lights have been hand-painted on their undersides by Tristan Eaton. The pendants hang above the center of the room over reclaimed wood dining tables. Two plaster niches have been chiseled by the Portuguese artist Vhils to reveal a layer of brick anchor and add texture to the room.
A private dining room elevated slightly above the ground floor is bounded by expandable bronze screens that playfully interpret storefront metal gates. Gold books framed by four built-in book cases painted by Tristan Eaton appear along the feature wall.
The cellar level has been conceived as a plush and playful bar/lounge in rich, textured materials. The foyer features wall panels and closets clad in a blue, silver, and gold ombre finish. The main room is defined by cobalt blue walls with geometric moulding panels. Mismatched custom furniture upholstered in neutral and saturated hues, including dusty pink, purple, blue, gold, and orange, and polished brass accents create a fun and eclectic living room environment.
A serpentine bar combines traditional barstool seating along the outside of the curves with tufted banquettes built inside to create different social seating groupings for small groups. Crystal-covered pendant lights that follow the shape of the bar, projecting a fragmented light. Bold, graphic wall coverings on the walls and ceiling contribute to the room’s crystalized look.