Studio Valle de Valle contrasts zinc and cedar at Stars wine bar in New York
Local outfit Studio Valle de Valle has worked with seasoned New York restaurateurs to create a wine bar in a single room with a zinc-covered bar, cedar panelling and custom furniture.
Stars is located in Downtown Manhattan, in the city's East Village neighbourhood, and has a 12-seat bar on the ground floor of an early-20th-century tenement building.
From the street, the bar is subtle, with a facade that features preexisting tiles and a four-panel metal doorway with semi-opaque glass.
At 450 square feet (42 square metres), it is Studio Valle de Valle's first bar in New York and its smallest commission to date.
The name, Stars, is an "homage to downtown" celebrity, according to co-founder Chase Sinzer.
Together with partner Joshua Pinsky, Sinzer is also responsible for other East Village hotspots such as Claud.
Sinzer said that the small space required an extra focus on materials and an attention to detail, which was the brief they brought to Studio Valle de Valle.
They took a "jewel box" approach to the project, filling the small space with soft light.
In order to expand the space, the studio topped the space with a faux, fabric-wrapped skylight that brings light in and gives a sense of height.
The walls were clad in cedar, while the central, wrap-around bar has a zinc top and is surrounded by custom mahogany stools with articulated fabric tops designed by Studio Valle de Valle.
Though there are only twelve seats around the metal bar top, the design incorporates a waist-height ledge at the back of the space to accommodate additional standing guests.
The floors are a matte red marble.
Sinzer said that the contrast between the wood and metal of the walls and bar, respectively, was essential to the overall design approach.
"The zinc is almost buttery and malleable, the fusion red marble is so much more subtle than the name implies, and the Valle stools bring them both together; the world between gray and red may really be yellow," he said.
On the far side, away from the standing rail, the back-of-house elements are visible to the bar goers.
This aspect is slightly separated from the bar space by a cased opening, which has highly reflective metal on the ceiling aspect, further visually expanding the space.
More zinc clads the wall on the backside, where shelves feature glassware.
Suspended above is a single-unit dual-channel stereo speaker, clad in mahogany, designed by Brooklyn's Tom Bloxam to match the stools.
In terms of art, two original pieces by American artist Frank Stella adorn the space.
The bar is one of many highly polished interiors that animate the New York food and beverage scene. Stars features select wines put on by wine director Julia Schwartz and a small bites menu.
Other recent additions include a sober club by Opa Architecture and Laube Studio and Funny Bar, a postmodern-inflected bar, restaurant and lounge with interiors by local studio Safwat by Safwat.
Studio Valle de Valle is run by Giancarlo Valle and Jane Keltner de Valle. Giancarlo Valle was a Dezeen Awards judge in 2025.
The photography is by Andrew Bui.
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