Restaurant Design Pioneer Larry Bogdanow Dies at 64

Some sad news today: Larry Bogdanow, an architect and designer responsible for many of New York's favorite restaurants over the last 25 years, died of a brain tumor Wednesday. He was 64. Bogdanow built the dining rooms for Union Square Cafe, Telepan, Savoy, Cub Room, City Hall, Beppe, Union Pacific, and Wild Blue in the World Trade Center, to name a few.

Bogdanow used warm colors and natural materials in his spaces, and he developed a reputation for crafting elegant but relaxed dining rooms, often times on very small budgets. Colleague David Rockwell notes: “His hallmarks were beautifully crafted light fixtures with unusual metal finishes and wood detailing that felt uniquely American and urban....He used a lot of copper and metals that developed a patina with age."

Bogdanow primarily worked in New York, but he also designed the restaurants Caliterra in Chicago, and Rubicon in San Francisco. For more on his work, check out the NYT slideshow of some of his most notable interiors.
· Larry Bogdanow, 64, Dies; Crafted Cozy Restaurants [NYT]
[Fred R. Conrad/NYT]