Retro design is having a moment, most notably in new F&B outlets sprouting up across the U.S. from nostalgia-inducing diners to vintage-inspired vinyl record bars.
Take Little Goat Diner, a quirky neighborhood spot from chef Stephanie Izard and Boka Restaurant Group that migrated from Chicago’s West Loop to the city’s Lakeview neighborhood earlier this year. Envisioned by New York-based creative agency Brand Bureau, the new space features a design concept described as “retro electrica” that takes cues from iconic diner typology and marries it with highlights of berry, peach, and sage hues.
Chef Stephanie Izard’s Little Goat Diner is located in a former bowling alley transformed by Brand Bureau
On the West Coast, the Lafayette Hotel & Swim Club in San Diego’s North Park reopened in July under the ownership of CH Projects, the hospitality group known for its unique restaurants and bars around the city. Brooklyn, New York-based design firm Post Company was tasked with creating CH Projects’ first hotel and the onsite F&B venues, including the 1940s-inspired Beginners Diner. To anchor the space in its old-school identity, a diner historian was enlisted to ensure all the restaurant’s details—from placemats and flatware to the fountain drinks served—were as realistic as possible.
It joins another West Coast throwback, the aptly named Retro by Voltaggio in Las Vegas. The one-year residency at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino found a home in the old Aureole restaurant and boasts a design from artist Keith Magruder that channels the 1980s. Reminiscent of a time capsule, the former wine tower now holds skateboards, rollerblades, vinyl records, and more. “It was easy to tell the story because we weren’t creating something new,” says restaurateur and chef Michael Voltaggio. “We’re digging up old memories and bringing them back to life.”
Beginners Diner is one of five F&B venues from CH Projects currently open at San Diego’s Lafayette Hotel
Diners aren’t the only venues making a splash. Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood recently welcomed all-day Mediterranean concept Radio Star. Proprietor Sara Conklin’s second eatery pays homage to nearby Transmitter Park, which was home to WNYC, a nonprofit owned by New York Public Radio, from 1937 to 1995. Capturing the feel of those early years was paramount for Conklin, who also crafted the space. “It was important to me that it seemed used, touched by humans, and authentic,” she says. “I did not want it to feel like a set but like it had been here the whole time. Appreciation for yesterday was key.”
Record bars and listening lounges are also picking up steam. According to Yelp’s 2024 Trend Forecast, searches for listening bars increased by a staggering 306 percent in the past year.
Indeed, a handful of venues dedicated to vinyl have opened in the past two years, including Harlan Records in San Francisco, the Miami Sound Bar, designed by TWA Architectural Group in collaboration with Edo Lōpez, and the Equipment Room, which debuted in Bunkhouse’s Hotel Magdalena in Austin in March. Here, 1970s vibes come courtesy of shag rugs, raw denim, and hints of lavender and orange.
Deep red hues and dark finishes define the moody Miami Sound Bar
Two New York boroughs have also been seeing an influx of the laidback spaces. In Brooklyn, the House Under Magic-designed Eavesdrop opened in Greenpoint last year; then came Honeycomb Hi-Fi Lounge in Park Slope; and Public Records, which debuted in Gowanus in 2019, added its Upstairs lounge at the end of 2022.
Two venues also launched in Long Island City, Queens: 929 and Record Room. Owner Haoran Chen, with the help of his husband Sean Yang, dreamt up 929 “as a community space connecting different generations of the East Asian diaspora through pop culture and drinking culture,” Chen says. Neon lights and reflective surfaces, for instance, are reminiscent of 1990s Hong Kong, while the booth décor is a tribute to ’80s Taiwanese nightlife.
At the Record Room, patrons are transported back to the 1950s in a space with plush velvet drapery, vintage-style furnishings, and a glowing neon sign emblazoned with its name. “The market is in love with the past, and it seems to be timeless in general,” says Julien Albertini, cofounder of Asthetíque Group and partner of the Record Room, who oversaw the design of the lounge. “We consider our design a new classic that touches the past in a modern way.”
This article originally appeared in HD’s December 2023 issue.
