New York City may be chock-full of bars that forge the feeling of stepping back in time, but few have the Home Studios touch. The Brooklyn firm founded by Oliver Haslegrave has garnered an avid fanbase around designing cult-favorite bars and restaurants—a beloved Montauk staple, a Nantucket institution, a neo-trattoria in historic Cambridge—that exude contemporary charm yet are deeply rooted in the history of their locales. So he leaned on that same formula when tasked to remodel The Wren, a cherished English-style taproom in Manhattan’s bustling East Village known for upscale pub fare and handcrafted cocktails. A timeless appeal and central location has afforded the self-proclaimed “Bowery’s best bar” longevity in a frenetic area otherwise marked by constant change, which Haslegrave tapped into when envisioning its second act.
“We aimed to capture the essence of a bygone era while infusing it with modern comfort and style,” Haslegrave tells Surface about the newly revamped bilevel interior’s rustic charm and wintry ambience. That’s largely thanks to wood-paneled walls, hardwood floors, walnut-trimmed black paint, and abundance of warm-toned sconces by the likes of In Common With, Allied Maker, and Rejuvenation. The upstairs bar is where most of the action happens, and it’s hard to imagine the night not flying by when socializing on its chocolate-hued upholstered booths that pair perfectly with Breuer chairs and Carrara marble tabletops. Fortunately, the cocktail menu’s inventive concoctions—the jittery Midnight Espresso, the habanero-tinged Speedy Gonzalez—are sure to keep the energy levels high until sunrise.
