HUMM, a new restaurant by chef Daniel Humm, has recently opened in New York’s West Village, with interiors entrusted to French designer Pierre Yovanovitch. It seems to me that the three-Michelin-starred chef has once again demonstrated just how carefully he chooses the people responsible for shaping the design and atmosphere of his spaces.
I had already come to that conclusion when I saw the interiors of his apartment, which we wrote about for Vogue Adria, designed in collaboration with Tommy Zung of Studio Zung. An “artistic oasis for recharging,” as we called it at the time, because Humm is a passionate art lover and collector. This time, for his first standalone restaurant in the United States to bear his name, he has chosen an equally significant designer.
Related: Michelin-starred chef Daniel Humm’s New York apartment is an artistic oasis for recharging
Opened on October 10 at 435 Hudson Street, HUMM brings together several important figures from the contemporary creative scene. Alongside Yovanovitch, who designed the interiors, artists Francesco Clemente and Rashid Johnson are also involved in the project. Art, architecture, and cooking are all part of the same story here, with the aim being “to create an experience in which the atmosphere stays in guests’ memories for as long as the food on their plates,” according to the project’s official description.
Photo: Adrian Gaut
Art that gives a space its soul
“Art gives a space its soul,” Pierre Yovanovitch said in an earlier interview with Vogue Adria, discussing his approach to interior design. At HUMM, that idea takes on a very tangible form. Artworks are not simply decorations added to a finished space, but the starting point for shaping its atmosphere, from the color palette and choice of materials to furniture details and architectural surfaces.
Related: The designer charm of Pierre Yovanovitch’s château in Provence
Photo: Adrian Gaut
A monumental fresco by Francesco Clemente dominates the main dining room, with its motifs echoed throughout the textiles, ceramics, and other interior details. Rashid Johnson’s works influenced the choice of colors, while his sculptural installation welcomes guests at the entrance. The bar also features a work by Louise Bourgeois, whose artistic presence is further emphasized by a marble counter and dramatic red tones.
Photo: Adrian Gaut
Yovanovitch, whose Parisian studio is known for projects combining contemporary art, exceptional craftsmanship, and carefully considered proportions, has once again conceived the interior as a complete experience. From furniture and lighting to rugs, ceramics, and mosaics, every element has been designed as part of the same composition. As we have come to expect from Pierre Yovanovitch’s work, his interiors are thoughtfully composed through materials, forms, and shapes, embodying quiet luxury at its most beautiful.
Photo: Adrian Gaut
A restaurant where the kitchen becomes part of the setting
The first impression begins at the entrance. The view opens almost immediately onto the kitchen, positioned at the heart of the space, where a monumental wood-fired oven becomes one of the restaurant’s defining visual features. Rather than keeping food preparation behind the scenes and hidden from guests, here it becomes part of the experience. Fire, movement, and the daily rhythm of the kitchen bring energy into the space, while the organically shaped ceramic oven resembles a sculpture.
Photo: Adrian Gaut
This approach aligns naturally with Humm’s culinary philosophy. On the restaurant’s official website, the chef explains that simplicity has become one of his most important values over time, both in cooking and in the way he likes to eat. “We don’t want to get in the way of the ingredients’ flavor. We want to reveal it,” he explains, describing an approach that prioritizes the quality of ingredients over unnecessary complexity. The same sense of restraint runs throughout the interior. High ceilings and existing structural columns give the space rhythm and emphasize its architecture, while sculptural plasterwork, carefully selected materials, and custom-made furniture create a balance between monumentality and intimacy.
Photo: Adrian Gaut
From the bar to an intimate dining room
Different areas of the restaurant have their own distinct character. In the lounge bar, an artwork by Rashid Johnson is paired with a lacquered painting designed by Yovanovitch, while undulating walls, sculptural ceilings, and bespoke furniture lend the space a sense of softness. The bar itself offers a more dramatic atmosphere: deep shades of red, marble, and a work by Louise Bourgeois create a stronger contrast with the rest of the interior. The main dining room, meanwhile, combines soaring ceilings and a monumental fresco with velvet seating, carefully selected lighting, and elements that contribute to a more comfortable acoustic environment. A separate private dining room, accommodating 25 guests, has also been designed for exclusive dinners, inspired by Francesco Clemente’s work Anima Nomade. Layers of fabric create an almost tent-like setting, an intimate retreat within the larger restaurant.
Photo: Adrian Gaut
All of this demonstrates that the experience is not built around visual spectacle alone. Comfort, a sense of privacy, and an atmosphere that makes guests want to linger are equally important. The choice of materials and acoustic solutions also serves a practical purpose, an essential consideration for a space that must function as a lively restaurant rather than simply an impressive interior in photographs.
More than a place for dinner
HUMM arrives after years in which Daniel Humm was most closely associated with Eleven Madison Park, a restaurant known for its ambitious tasting-menu approach. The new project offers something different: a more personal, relaxed format where food is ordered à la carte, and the wood-fired kitchen and open layout encourage a more direct connection between guests and the preparation of their meals. Following the experience of designing his own apartment, where art also played an important role, Humm has once again chosen a collaboration that reflects his personal sensibility. Yovanovitch has created a space that feels both sculptural and intimate, with enough striking details to capture attention while maintaining a strong emphasis on comfort and atmosphere.
Humm’s ambition is to connect what we see, what we taste, and how we feel within a space. And judging by his approach so far, the careful selection of creative collaborators is one of the ways he aims to ensure his projects go beyond the purely functional.
Photo: Adrian Gaut
Dining and Cooking