Leuca by Studio Munge: A Southern Italian Country House Reimagined in Brooklyn
Leuca occupies the ground floor of The William Vale in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Studio Munge designed the 5,820-square-foot, 187-seat restaurant for NoHo Hospitality Group and chef Andrew Carmellini as a warm Southern Italian counterpoint to the hotel's contemporary architecture.
The interior is built around a fictional family story: a young couple and their daughter relocate from Europe to Brooklyn, carrying memories of childhood and a grandmother's country house in Italy. That narrative gives the restaurant a sense of accumulated history rather than a newly constructed theme.
Oak-clad walls and broad Roman arches organize the main dining room, while leather banquettes and timber furniture create a tactile, residential atmosphere. The open kitchen remains visible, allowing its warmth and activity to become part of the dining room rather than a separate service zone.
Studio Munge used materials and objects crafted both locally and in Italy. Hand-painted ceramic tile columns, traditional Majolica pottery and carved timber details reinforce the Southern Italian references without turning the room into a literal reconstruction.
Lighting is equally important to the atmosphere. A mobile-like chandelier takes inspiration from Alexander Calder, while custom pendants and wall sconces shift the space from daylight to a warmer evening mood. A black-painted central ceiling heightens the contrast with the surrounding timber.
The bar and private dining spaces introduce lighter surfaces and their own architectural rhythm, but they remain connected through the repeated arches and custom millwork. The restaurant can therefore accommodate different scales of gathering without losing visual continuity.
Leuca's strength lies in its balance: sentimental but controlled, richly detailed but approachable. Studio Munge turns a large hotel restaurant into a sequence of intimate rooms whose materials and proportions support the same generous, communal spirit as the Southern Italian menu.
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