speakeasy: love RAINES at Raines Law Room

I remember being amused at this wallpaper at the ICFF in 2008. Here it is in action in The Raines Law Room, a new speakeasy in the Flatiron district, NYC. In case you didn’t know, in 1896 Raines Law disallowed selling alcohol in pubs on Sundays, but made exceptions for hotels. You only needed to have 10 guest rooms and serve sandwiches. As a result, saloons began adding rooms above their space. So the law meant to discourage drinking did not, and opened the doors to prostitution. Atelier Blink, a Belgian design studio, came up with the patterns. “Oh, Shocking,” also appears on bedding and pyjamas, “Rendez-vous” is the wallpaper. See more pics of The Raines Law Room here.