A Design-filled Day in Bed-Stuy

This is the first of my new series called «A design-filled day in …» where I take you along on a walk through a neighborhood, showing you my favorite design-forward places and spaces. In this issue: Bed-Stuy, a neighborhood most people wouldn’t necessarily think of first when it comes to design, yet hidden between historic brownstones, tree-lined streets and community gardens, there are quite a few spots that are worth knowing about.
Much of it needs to be credited to the Black community that began laying roots here in the 1930s and are still running many amazing businesses in the neighborhood. From galleries, to concept stores to cute cafés, here’s my go-to list for a design-filled day in Bed-Stuy.

Cafés:
Apartment Ra’el, founded and designed by Rachelle Kirindongo, is part concept store, part café, where you can shop beautiful vintage home goods while enjoying a cup of coffee. Beyond the shelves and coffee bar, Apartment Ra’el functions as a gathering space for the neighborhood with weekend pop up markets, art exhibitions and events.

Saison Bakery is a newly opened bakery on the corner of Hancock and Marcus Garvey Boulevard. The interior, designed by Studio N&TL oozes French countryside — think lots of marble, ruffles and soft light. Go early as the pastries sell out quickly.

Furniture and Home Goods:
Again Vintage has a lovely hand-picked selection of home goods and gifts, both vintage and new: sourced from The Catskills, Japan and The Mediterranean as well as newer objects from local makers. The shop is also home to Sublime, offering locally-roasted coffee, baked goods and sandwiches and grain bowls on the weekend.

I mentioned this space already in my Vintage Furniture Guide (check out here). Founded by Tyler Rizzuto and Deon Hinton, Tage Gallery is worth a visit every single time I’m in the area. The space is simply stunning with its wood-paneled walls, and the pieces they stock are sourced with an incredible eye for detail.