Sopra
115 East 60th Street
New York
Tel: 212-339-8363
Designer: Mapos

Architectural firm Mapos’ latest project, Sopra, opened in mid-April on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Sopra, which means “above” in Italian, is located in an 18th-century townhouse directly upstairs from its sister restaurant, Amali. Seeking to forge an intimate dining experience with the expansiveness of Mediterranean warmth, the 1,000-square-foot restaurant is deeper than it is wide, a perfect accommodation for long, family style dining tables. A strong color palette—including taupe brick walls, amber lighting, and white oak—all complement the rustic yet polished ambiance. An open-air kitchen reinforces an atmosphere of communal hospitality. The design capitalizes on the building’s lofty ceilings in order to create an intimate and unstuffy dining experience.

Locally sourced products factored heavily into Sopra’s design and construction. Mapos consulted Gowanus-based design studio Rich Brilliant Willing to bring warm, subtle lighting into the restaurant. The exterior and interior steel work was done in Lower Manhattan, while the wood for the tables and kitchen was repurposed by M. Fine Lumber Company of Brooklyn and fabricated by Dario Gimenez of Bushwick.