Trata on the River

Architect & Interior Designer: RS MANNINO Architecture+Design

Project Location: Piermont, New York

Photography by Mike Van Tassell (@mikevantassell)

Set along the Hudson in Piermont, Trata was conceived as a refined Mediterranean dining room shaped by an abstract Greek island sensibility rather than literal reference. The owners, also behind Elia in East Rutherford, sought a space that would feel more elegant, softer, and more sophisticated, a summer memory distilled into architecture.

Rosario Mannino began by lightening the existing structure. The former pub-like brick interior was painted a traditional Greek white, transforming the masonry into a luminous backdrop reminiscent of island villages. Throughout the space, newly constructed arched niches and cubbies reinterpret a language commonly found in Greece. Each recess is softly illuminated, creating warmth and depth while displaying sculptural vessels, coral forms, icons, and classical fragments.

The material palette is restrained: white masonry, warm neutral wood tones, and woven textures establish a composed elegance. Overhead, greenery weaves through the ceiling in a pergola-inspired gesture, echoing coastal courtyards and seaside dining terraces. Woven pendant fixtures punctuate the canopy, introducing organic movement and filtered light. This layered ceiling treatment, carried forward from Elia, provides intimacy without theatricality.

Flooring reinforces spatial hierarchy. Porcelain tile grounds the main dining rooms in a light, refined palette, while darker wood distinguishes the more secluded private dining area, offering warmth and subtle contrast.

Furniture selections favor natural oak tones and woven cane, balancing softness with structure. Upholstered banquettes in muted neutrals provide tailored comfort against the white masonry backdrop.

Trata does not replicate Greece — it interprets it. The result is a dining environment that feels like an elegant summer evening on the islands, translated for modern American dining: airy, composed, and quietly luminous.