Remodelista Reconnaissance: The Double Tablecloths at Raf’s NYC

There’s much to admire about Raf’s, the new downtown NYC Italian dining room and bakery. Occupying a storefront in a century-old building on Elizabeth Street, Post Company’s design, in their words, “celebrates the legacy of the European haunt by telegraphing a relaxed grandeur.”

Among the many details to appreciate: the zinc bar, vintage candlesticks converted into lamps, and the use of crisp double tablecloths for, as Post Company puts it, “a healthy dose of formality.” The latter is a look that’s easy to replicate at home, so we decided to find out more.

Photography courtesy of Post Company and Raf’s.

raf’s by day: two toned tiled walls and stone inlaid café tabl 14 — Above: Raf’s by day: two-toned tiled walls and stone-inlaid café tables up front, and golden mohair banquettes and yet-to-be-dressed wooden tables in the back.

the dining room set for dinner: the color of the mohair, post company partner l 15 — Above: The dining room set for dinner: the color of the mohair, Post Company partner Leigh Salem notes, “knocks down pretense in favor of celebration.” Raf’s co-owner Nicole Vitagliano tells us they sourced the tablecloths—”with a black bourdon-stitched stripe”—from Tessicasa, suppliers of Italian linens to restaurants and hotels. If the top layer needs cleaning, it can be whisked off and the table remains dressed.

“white tablecloths ground raf’s in a european tradition 16 — Above: “White tablecloths ground Raf’s in a European tradition, while the layering of fabrics and striped border provide a subtle wink of whimsey and reinvention,” says Salem. Yes, the food at Raf’s is superb.

Above: The dining room’s Flora Chandeliers are by In Common With, the Brooklyn lighting studio that celebrated its fifth anniversary at Raf’s—see more from the workshop in Objects of Desire and Trend Alert: Frilly Lights that Hang Like Flowers.

For tablecloths that are akin to the ones here, consider: the Hay Outline Tablecloth, $75 small, $95 medium, from DWR; Crate & Barrel’s Mercer Merrow-Stitch Warm Natural Organic Cotton Tablecloth, $99.95; and Single Embroidery Border Sateen Cotton Solid Tablecloth, on sale for $33.99, from Plushplinen.

Raf’s is at 290 Elizabeth Street in NYC.

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