Aix en New York

A Provencal look for urban dining



By Jane Levere, Hospitality Design

Although the interior design of new Manhattan restaurant Aix was partly inspired by Aix en Provence, a town in France after which it was named, its roots, says designer Etienne Coffinier, really sprang from the classical era in history. "It's all based on classicism, the rules that have been taught for centuries from the Greek temples to Europe and France in the 18th century," explains Coffinier, who trained in France early in his career.

Coffinier says his other inspiration was the china pattern that chef Didier Virot selected for Aix. "Its yellow-and-blue-edged border was strong and spectacular," he says. "I took the colors and moved along, so the décor was dancing, happy, full of life."

Beyond the yellow front doors, diners are greeted by walls whose colors run the gamut from midnight blue to cantaloupe to orange and vanilla cream. Booths and chairs are equally vibrant, combining textured fabric and faux leather in red, royal blue, orange, mustard, almond and moss green. Persian rugs provide still more bold color, as does the restaurant's red- and blue-tiled open kitchen. Dark, mahogany wood—on the bar, tables, chairs and louvers that enclose service stations and the kitchen—provides a calm balance for the intense color scheme.

Coffinier allows some literal references to the restaurant location and its namesake area: a reproduction antique map of Provence and an abstract globe of the world near the bar; columns upstairs, lined with original French, turn-of-the-century postcards; and paintings by American artists Paul Moran.