An iconic, defunct landmark in Southampton, N.Y., has been reimaged.
Once the Princess Diner, the new Silver Lining Diner both modernizes and upscales the traditional diner experience with year-round seasonal fare and local sourcing.
Silver Lining Diner's bar. Images courtesy of Max Touhey.
The 270-seat restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night, cocktails and takeout seven days a week. It also features outdoor dining with seating for up to 40 guests.
Silver Lining Diner brought together the collective vision and talent of five partners: Executive Chef Eric Miller, Operations & Events Director Marc Miller, financier Richard Silver, marketing and branding expert MT Carney, and interior architecture and design firm Jeffrey Beers International.
Silver Lining Diner features a mix of seating styles and heights.
From 2014 to 2018, Eric Miller, Marc Miller and Richard Silver owned and operated Bay Kitchen Bar in East Hampton. Jeffrey Beers, Founder & President of Jeffrey Beers International, an architect that works with top chefs, was a regular customer at Bay Kitchen Bar. He came to the project initially in a design capacity and later joined as a partner. The former President of Marketing for Walt Disney Studios, MT Carney is the co-founder of Plan A, an advertising-holding company that brings together a wide range of creative boutiques.
In close collaboration with Beers, Carney led the re-imagining of the diner’s interior space in addition to its overall identity, both visual and conceptual. Carney tied together the overall design of the space, from the restaurant logo and jumpsuit uniform to the branded coffee mugs, napkins and customized neon sign above the bar.
A cheerful yellow offers pops of color at Silver Lining Diner.
“A diner has always been more than a restaurant; it’s a barometer where a seat at the counter or in a booth has offered a front row view of American life,” says Carney. “There is nothing elitist about a diner; it’s a welcoming, egalitarian place. We hope to recreate that experience at Silver Lining Diner, making it a staple for the community who live in the Hamptons and those who visit throughout the year.”
The 270-seat restaurant was divided into a number of intimate spaces offering a mix of seating options that include booths, coffee counter and bar seating, square and round tables, banquettes, a communal table and an outdoor patio. The coffee section of the bar in the main dining room is horseshoe-shaped, which is intended to induce communication and closeness among diners.
Seating arrangements help create intimate zones throughout the restaurant.
Beers’ design honors the classic American diner ethos while never slipping into kitsch. Carney’s concept of utilizing a crisp, light and happy color palate of sunshine yellow, warm whites, stainless steel, and light hued woods allows the various spaces feel contemporary, light and optimistic.
Even the restroom design is playful and light at Silver Lining Diner.
Another nod to the modern needs of diner guests is that Marc Miller oversees partnered company relationships with companies like Food & Co. and Hampton Clambake that offer catering via Silver Lining. Takeout is also available with plans for delivery coming soon.