It took a village to adapt a former rubber factory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, into the destination restaurant Ilis. Danish chef (and Noma veteran) Mads Refslund nabbed the spot and enlisted architect Grant Blakeslee, of the California practice Hand, to transform it into a show kitchen with soaring ceilings, weathered brick walls and a corner skylight more than five metres off the floor. Then Alexander Diaz Andersson, the designer behind New York furniture and interiors studio Atra, intervened in the interiors. The finished product, launched in early 2024, immerses diners in a sensory experience of Swedish-Mexican cooking, named after the Danish words for fire and ice.
Now the Brooklyn restaurant has been nominated for ‘world’s most beautiful restaurant’ by the prestigious Prix Versailles, the global architecture and design award.
Courtesy Ilis
Courtesy Ilis
Courtesy Ilis
Courtesy Ilis
Courtesy Ilis
Working with Blakeslee’s visionary conversion of the 418-square-metre space and Refslund’s brief for a dynamic design, Andersson crafted a futuristic environment with oxidised metal, blackened brass, leather and floating conical sconces. ‘We aim to create spaces that are not just visually stunning but also deeply functional and engaging for both guests and staff,’ says Diaz Andersson.
Architect and designer conceived of a ‘cloud’ at the centre of the double-height room, a lowered ceiling with soft corners that hovers over the kitchen and dampens the clamour of diners and chefs. Andersson designed the furniture and fittings and brought in custom glassware by William Couig. Even the uniforms are custom designed, to the uniforms by a fashion designer: Camilla Staerk of the eponymous Danish brand.
Winners of the 2024 Prix Versailles will be announced this winter.
