New York is in love. MeMe’s Diner in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, is the high-school crush of New York’s Instagram and social media-savvy people, and it’s not for the reasons you expect. The interior of this quaint LGBTQ-friendly diner is homely, plain, and tasteful, separating it from its flashy inner city counterparts.
Less is more
Move away from upmarket designers and personalised design. Ikea is the way to go. Ikea, and going for cheap, simple items of furniture that just, well, blend. Luckily, this makes it easy for you to recreate that look in your own business, or even just your home.
Restaurant owners Libby Willis and Bill Clark pride themselves on having found some of the diner’s key pieces of decor from thrift stores, sales, and the ever-useful Ikea. They knew what they were after, but they didn’t need a fancy interior designer to help them achieve the look they wanted. If you don’t have the budget for it, there are always ways to get tasteful, beautiful design into your space.
Know your colours
The key to creating a space that could become as famous as MeMe’s is a vision. Have an image in your head of what look you want to achieve, and think of the colour scheme. Every restaurant on this list knew how to use their colours. One or two key colours is all you need to make this happen, and for MeMe’s, it was something neutral. Neutral sofas and chairs, right down to the glass door refrigerator in the kitchen.
A homely touch
Walking into MeMe’s, you would be forgiven for mistaking it for being someone’s apartment. The dominance of the colour white and the abundance of houseplants would certainly lead a person to think that way. People would fervently ask them who designed their pastel-coloured vases, and Willis would simply reply with ‘Ikea’ or some other affordable retailer like for the bare essentials. No matter the budget, houseplants are a great touch, even if they’re fake and even if they’re potted in thrifted chinaware.
MeMe’s Diner is revolutionary in that it understands that simplicity is everything. Instagram didn’t need another colour explosion with roses hanging from the ceiling or anything fancy. It just needed a diner with a homely feel, inclusive atmosphere, and dedicated owners.