☞ BESPOKE: Harlem Patterned Shop Tiles

Basic wood floors or solid tiles seem to be the standard for most Harlem restaurants but a couple of new shops have worked in the pattern vernacular that is starting to appear in the rest of the city.  Barawine at 120th and Lenox opened up last year and has uniquely mixed texture and pattern in a very modern interior.  The floors shown at the top photo reminds us of some encaustic tiles that used to be popular uptown at the turn of 20th century and the finishing adds quite a bit of character to the elegant space.

Chapati House shown at the lower photo opened up a casual Indian eatery on Broadway by 124th Street but has a bit more flair with the floors than the typically clinical hole in the wall.  As better businesses continue to open uptown, we expect more diversity within the interior decor to make an establishment stand out and these traditional patterned tiles are a particular attractive way to meet this goal.