Occupying a coveted New York City address exposes one to immeasurable greatness on a daily basis, but there’s nothing like unearthing hidden gems when walking through the charming streets of Brooklyn Heights.

Colonie is one small gem that won’t be small for long. The food is fantastic, the staff is welcoming and the Brooklyn friendly sustainable interior design will be a treat its neighbors won't soon forget. Colonie recently opened its doors after local architect Alex Meyers of Mad Design had his way with the space. Meyers’ objective was to take rustic barn materials and fuse them with new minimalistic elements to bring a family style meal setting to a refined barn space. Since New York based Meyers is familiar with local products he was able to secure reclaimed wood to use on the ceiling, floors, and custom table tops, recycled church pews redone for seating. To top it off a stunning antique mirror rescued from the old Toy Building in Manhattan hangs over the bar.

The bright green living wall adds an exciting element to the restaurant, featuring a vertical garden of fresh herbs. The living wall sits aside the open kitchen and gives merit to the freshness of the food while bringing a dash of nature to the interior. Lastly, who are the brains behind Colonie?

Emelie Kihlstrom, Elise Rosenberg, and Tamer Hamawi, all met serendipitously seven years ago while managing the team at Avroko’s great Nolita restaurant Public. When the group came together to build the restaurant they started a Kickstarter video to procure additional funding for the interior design from their supporters. The goal was to raise at least $10,000 by November 1st 2010, but they ended up raising $15,000 with only 91 backers! As a team, the three are filled with passion for food and hospitality. Hamawi explained that he “decided a long time ago that he was going to be in the business of making people happy,” which is what the team hopes to do with Colonie.