Brindle Room is set to debut very soon in the East Village on 10th St. and Ave. A. The restaurant’s interior as well as this logo we designed is inspired by the brindle pattern found on the coats various animals. Rather than incorporate the blatant image of a bear, horse or dog, the lettering and colors define itself.
Landmarks gave the go on repainting this sign for Mexican restaurant, Hecho En DUMBO, with the stipulation that it must not be taken down. Moving up and down a tall ladder, we were psyched to paint over this vintage, metal Hershey’s Ice Cream sign.
Hershey’s Ice Cream lettering was embossed into the original sign’s metal surface and now creates a subliminal message effect under the newly painted restaurant’s logo. This sign, in a way, illustrates the restaurant industry in New York or any other business here for that matter. It reflects how businesses come and go or how an old and new NYC can come together. It is very much a collage of NY, the layers representing a clashing of time and cultures - from Hershey’s Ice Cream to sixty-year-old institution Marion’s and now Mexican restaurant Hecho en DUMBO.
Opening this Friday, Hecho en DUMBO has made the move from Brooklyn to New York to the former Marion’s space on Bowery.
The proprietors of awesome BBQ spot Fette Sau is opening a new restaurant next door to their other local favorite, Spuyten Duyvil, in Williamsburg. okMitch painted the signs for St. Anselm, which will open its doors sometime early next month. It looks amazing inside, so we can’t wait!
We don’t normally paint menus, but Mikey’s Burger persuaded us to work on theirs. The layout corresponds with the logo we designed for the place. The menu board was primed in chalkboard paint (so pricing could be easily written) and the rest of the board was painted with Japan colors, a matte oil-based paint.
After the jump, check out the light box Mikey’s also got us to do, as we don’t usually make them either.
Matte gold leaf (23K) and distressed looking sign for Teddy Boy, a custom clothing boutique located in the Lower East Side. Installing this sign was a treat as we really like the identity and whole setup of the store.
Eastern Alley opened today, during the blizzards of all blizzards, so we recommend you visit our sign and the restaurant when it’s less snowy. Try the yummy twice cooked chicken wings, oxtail or duck noodles. Less about food and more about signs. Mitch enjoyed transferring the logo into fourteen inch painted letters mainly because the intricate lines and details could be blown up.
More photos to come.
On another note, although we are busy with quite a few projects, we’re also in the middle of redesigning the website. Hopefully you can deal with this funky layout for a bit until it’s all pretty again.
Our friend and great chef, Sean Scotese, is opening a restaurant called Eastern Alley with the very kind folks of Thailand Cafe. It is located in the former home of the restaurant at 6 Clinton in the Lower East Side. We originated custom lettering into the logo above for the new eatery.
Some raw sketches of other directions we went into…
Nini’s Wine Cellar in Williamsburg wanted us to design and paint a Brooklyn icon which would fill in a huge blank wall in their new store. Inspired by sepia-tone photography, the colors of this image of the Williamsburg Bridge are subdued and warm, coordinating well with the brick and copper fixtures.
A new French restaurant, MODE, on North 5th in Williamsburg is opening later this month. They wanted a simple sign, consistent with their logo and which would bring the odd perimeters of the storefront together.
Despite the snowy weather, irises were suddenly in bloom once we painted the new logo for Iris Cafe. Situated on Columbia Place in Brooklyn, the storefront is now more complete with its new identity and logo. We love the little details that peek out from the purples and greens in this sign.
Iris Cafe in Willowtown/Brooklyn Heights approached us to design the above logo. The name and logo incorporates sentimental elements including the fact that the cafe was formerly a flower shop. Additionally, the owner’s mother is named Iris, who’s favorite color also happens to be purple.
Next step is to paint this lovely sign.
This logo was created for Mikey’s Burger in the Lower East Side. It looks great on the storefront (though please note, was not painted by us).
Check out the other options we provided and some of the process after the jump.
Just finished applying the dead flat durable UV protective top coat for this mural. Once we to stitch the panoramic picture of it, we can share the whole thing with you.
Gold leaf on An Nhau restaurant’s door on Bedford Ave. and N7th St. Design also supplied by okMitch.
“The question has been asked of sign painters hundreds of times, ‘Which letter of the alphabet do you consider the hardest or most difficult to make?’ It is only but natural to make this inquiry, for to the novice, some particular letters are more perplexing than others.”
While digging for information regarding the art of sign painting, we found an article in The New York Times Archive from the year 1900. It was written by a veteran in the sign trade (from hand painted to gold leaf).
For those interested in the development of signs in New York, it is a highly entertaining read covering and 19th century sign industry and its artists.
The gold leaf signage for Miya Shoji was completed with 23 karat deep gold. A mirror finishing allows the letters to catch the movement that occurs in the daytime. Thus, it is an important contribution to the effectiveness of the inscription. Equally effective, the satin finish makes the sign for this unique shop visible at night.
Today, we wrapped up the mural for Tiger Beer, a Singaporean import, at Bia Garden. It pleases us to hear that these murals are helping boost sales for the beers, which goes to show advertising can work, especially when one is thirsty.
When we returned from our vacation, we received great news - the Landmarks Department finally approved the sign for Jack’s Coffee at its Front Street location. The Department had to review the proposed sign to make sure it contributes to the look and architecture of the South Street Seaport Historical District. There is something exciting about painting on a historical location, as the building was built in the 18th century.
We made it to Russia. Mixing it up with friends and family in the Southern region of Russia, it’s been an awesome time.
Though we’re sad to say good-bye, we’ll be home in NY in two weeks time!
okMitch is on holiday, and our first stop is Istanbul, Turkey. The calligraphy is amazing, there are some gold leaf signs though not many, and hardly any painted signs or murals. We should set up shop here :)
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