Postcard Bakery opens in New York with retro Japanese-inspired decor

The beloved Brooklyn architecture and design practice Sarah Carpenter & Studio has completed the interiors for a new Japanese bakery and tea house in the West Village. Postcard Bakery, specialising in house-made pastries, sandwiches and bubble tea, recalls Japanese vintage postcards and artwork of the 1920s Taisho era.

Behind its whitewashed façade, the intimate space is all arches and curved lines, painted in vibrant retro shades, like vermilion and gold-tinged chartreuse. Sarah Carpenter’s small team designed a custom, oversized display case in curved glass and mirrored metal to showcase the colourful pastries and sandos that sell out daily.

The rest of the decor shimmers, from the marble floor tiles to the custom wall coverings, created in collaboration with creative studio LMNOP. Framed in custom oak millwork, the patterned walls evoke the botanical and geometric influences of artist Yumeji Takehisa. The seating area features soft, quilted banquettes in muted shades of creamy peach and butter yellow.

‘At the start of the project, [co-owner Lisa Limb] shared a Spotify playlist that she had put together to convey the nostalgic, playful tone she wanted to set for Postcard and we played this on loop in our studio,’ says Carpenter. ‘In past projects, clients have provided us with a wide assortment of content to help articulate their ideas… but this was our first playlist. It speaks volumes about the team behind Postcard and the type of space they have envisioned.’

Limb owns Postcard with partners Taka Sakaeda and Jihan Lee. The three met while working under three-star Michelin sushi chef Masa Takayama.

31 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014