SIDEKICK
ASTORIA, NEW YORK
SIDEKICK | Hospitality
ASTORIA, NY
500 SF | Interior / EXTERIOR RENOVATION
As neighborhoods change over time, sometimes we lose our favorite spots to forces outside of our control. Other times, the places we love find the success they need not only to survive, but expand their presence in the community that supports them. Sweet Afton had been a neighborhood local in Astoria for over a decade before the opportunity arrived for it to stretch its reach out to the adjacent site. As a new piece of an old star, Sidekick grew out of the goals of honoring the feelings that Sweet Afton fostered over the years while existing as decidedly new addition current to its time of conception.
As a smaller space than its predecessor, Sidekick was an exercise in how a cocktail environment can be employed in a single room with great street frontage and access. The direction quickly leaned towards a central bar that existed almost completely in the round and held its place in the space similar to a freestanding piece of furniture with legs that touched the ground and gave way to recessed bases in between. Whether it was the bending line of the zinc bar top or the pulling down of tall wainscoting to give a warm backdrop to light fixtures, the composition celebrated the union of materials and an overlap that helped sew their respective forms together.
Having the bar as a central element not only allowed, but necessitated careful coordination for a series of pieces to come together after fabrication and fit neatly on site—crowned by the custom light installation that illuminated the fare on the back bar. This element became another combination of old and new. When a comprehensive update to the storefront included the removable of artisan triple-hung windows in front of Sweet Afton they became prime opportunity for a transparent element for a backdrop of Sidekick’s bar experience. The old sashes were reclaimed and repainted before being mounted on the back side of a new metal structure that both finished the back bar and framed the stair going down to the bathroom below.
