In This Issue
This issue of NYNow… multiculturalism and melting pot musings.

TREND REPORT: INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE
Technology brings the world to our door, so it’s no wonder that this constant contact influences design. With global perspective, design has the opportunity to incorporate exotic elements and color, creating something altogether new.

More importantly, it's become imperative for designers to understand and study intercultural design. Because, whether armchair travelers or road warriors, consumers have developed an appreciation and demand for products which introduce escapist notions into their spaces. They want eclectic mix-and-match options, unexpected materials and, most recently, rich color palettes of khakis, browns and deep reds... Looks which evoke China, India, Mexico, Morocco and Russia, to name a few.

As “minority” populations in the U.S. grow towards majority, our own melting pot also offers ever-more inspiration for ethnic influence and embraceable culture cues.

SAL de IBIZA
by The French Farm

See It
Over 40% of the U.S. population descends from the 12 million immigrants that passed through Ellis Island’s Port of New York from 1892 to 1954. Now, nearly a century since the peak years of immigration, Ellis Island – the 27.5-acre site located just minutes off the southern tip of Manhattan Island, reached by ferry boat from Battery Park – is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the National Park Service. The three-story Ellis Island Museum is housed in the same building that the immigrants came through for 64 years. A day trip isn’t complete without visiting the nearby Statue of Liberty, which was recently re-opened to visitors. Ellis Island, (212) 363-3200. Ellis Island Immigration Museum, (212) 363-6307. www.ellisisland.org

Read It
With her newly-released guidebook New York: The Big City and Its Little Neighborhoods, Naomi Fertitta offers a local’s insight to 22 NYC neighborhoods where the streets, shops, and restaurants echo the culture of their immigrant populations – including Little India/Jackson Heights, Little West Indies, Little Athens/Astoria and Little Mexico/East Harlem. Want to check them out for yourself? Maps and subway directions are included to lead the way. Available through Rizzoli.

Taste It
There’s no point arguing New York City’s dominance as a multicultural culinary destination, but if you need proof, consider these two eateries, bringing a bit of Italy and Germany, respectively, to the Big Apple.

Buon Appetito! Veteran restaurateur Tony May and his daughter Marisa have opened SD26, a revival of San Domenico, which serves up contemporary Italian cuisine overlooking Madison Square Park. The tri-level space includes a fine-dining restaurant as well as a 70-seat wine bar and lounge with a 10,000-bottle list. Italian minimalist designer Massimo Vignelli was brought in to create a $7 million, 14,000-square-foot space with Italian black oak flooring, gold-leaf ceilings and rich red walls. 19 East 26th Street at Madison Square Park. (212) 265-5959. www.sd26ny.com


Guten appetit! Barbecue may seem as American as apple pie, but the meat-cooking method has been influenced by several foreign cultures, including the Germans of central Texas who smoked their meat in their butcher shops. In a former auto repair garage in Brooklyn, Fette Sau (“fat sow” in German) serves up a similar selection of beef and pork cuts from local organic farms. The succulent flavor, pulled from a dry rub and a smoke combination of oak, maple, beech and cherry, is best washed down with a locally-brewed artisanal beer. 354 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn. (718) 963-3404. www.fettesaubbq.com

Fact NYC
Centuries before the phrase “melting pot” was coined, the Dutch made their way to the “nieuw” world, led by sailor Henry Hudson, who voyaged from New York Harbor up the river now bearing his name. New York City has been celebrating its 400th year anniversary with a $10 million series of cultural, athletic, academic and commercial festivities, and, as part of this, Dutch royalty and political leaders have presented major gifts, including a new 5,000-square foot pavilion at Battery Park designed by Amsterdam-based architecture firm UNStudio. www.ny400.org

Shop NYIGF this winter for a selection of international resources unmatched among domestic gift and home markets. You do the math: More than 300 companies from 40 countries + 13 international pavilions = sourcing simplicity!