Through an unassuming corridor, the Park Room at Charlestown’s Prima Italian Steakhouse unfolds in full bloom—velvet, fringe, florals, and all.
At first, you might not expect much. The path to Prima’s Park Room winds through a nondescript back corridor from the Charlestown restaurant’s main dining room—a remnant of a former Legal Sea Foods. But that’s exactly the point, says Erica Diskin of Assembly Design Studio. “We knew that journey mattered. We wanted the payoff to be big.”
Inside, the payoff is pure transportive charm. Designed by Erica and her husband and studio partner, Michael Diskin, the Park Room offers a dining experience unmatched in Boston. Situated in a grand atrium-style room gazing upon City Square Park, the space draws equal inspiration from vintage Italian mansions, old Hollywood films, and the whimsical maximalism of swanky London club Annabel’s.
“We approach these projects like a movie set,” says Erica, who has been in hospitality design for 14 years. She and Michael set the tone for Prima, which opened in 2023. “For this room, I was thinking about female-forward fantasy—a place I would want to be in with friends, where there’s this great sense of experience.”
Originally a dark, tucked away area, the space now channels the feel of an overgrown garden atrium. Green latticework walls inset with lush floral panels, intricate millwork, and handtied (mostly by Erica) blooms create an enveloping effect. Vintage chandeliers and oversized fringed pendants cast flattering pools of light across marble-topped tables and velvet-upholstered chairs—all custom-designed. Above, reclaimed wood warms the ceiling, grounding the room’s layered elegance.
Anchoring it all is a showstopping private bar—tufted, mirrored, and softly glowing—that invites guests to linger over cocktails with an elevated view of the park beyond. “The bar had to be something spectacular,” Michael says. “It’s really the heart of the room.”
He credits their frequent collaborations with Prima’s owners—and the intricate geometry of the space—with helping to bring the vision to life. “Everyone wants that Instagram moment now, but you need to create the setting first,” he says, noting that the room is geared for large parties and small events and has a private entrance from the street, which has made it a favorite of Boston VIP’s who want to stay in stealth mode. Aesthetics, however, are only part of the allure; Prima’s standout Italian menu is unrivaled. As Michael says, “When great design and great food come together—that’s the magic.”
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See also: The Most Beautiful Restaurants in Greater Boston
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