Amali Restaurant

 When James Mallios, the owner of Persephone, wanted to re-brand and re-envision his staid and white table-clothed Greek restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, he turned to Mapos LLC for their track record of seamlessly merging the world of design, sustainability, and innovative brand-thinking. Although it was not Mallios’ initial intent to create a sustainable restaurant design (rather, simply a restaurant using sustainable food practices), it was apparent after the first meetings with us that this could be achieved.

Mapos first set to work analyzing the hidden resources of the existing space, knowing that our ethos of REUSE would not only play well with the new and existing clientele of Amali, but could save the client money in material costs while adding to the authenticity of the space. Conceived to be an eclectic Mediterranean home, elements and materials that recalled the past but in decidedly modern proportions and details were used throughout.

A simple and honest economy of materials were used in the design to directly reflect the recipes devised in the humble (but elevated) farm-to-table menu. Rather than losing his valued staff during the renovation, Mapos created simple designs and when necessary, brought in artisans to train the staff so that they could help build certain aspects of the restaurant during construction, from creating specialized finishes to basic furniture rehab.

Mapos intentionally selected materials that do not require a finish, resulting in no VOC off-gassing and an honesty of material that reflects the rustic simplicity of the food: unfinished white oak, tile floors, custom plaster walls, metal fixtures and details, and marble.