Harvey’s Frankfurt: breakfast in a room with character

The central interior frame follows the middle axis: the tall shelf on the back wall sits in the center, the rows of tables run towards it left and right, the brick arch frames the whole.

With many colors, materials and light sources, a symmetrical view is the simplest defense against visual noise. It gives the eye a fixed point from which to sort the rest.

From an angled position the same room would have become a collection of colorful furniture. The symmetry says that it has a plan.

Nearly all the food frames at Harvey’s are made from above, and that follows the subject: a breakfast table is several vessels side by side — a pan, a plate, a cup, a glass, a menu.

From the side they hide one another. From above everything lies clear, and the wooden table becomes the surface that holds the pieces together.

Hands and cutlery are in the frame on purpose. A breakfast with no movement at all looks like a display; a fork going into a pancake looks like a Saturday morning.

A separate shoot with guests was made for social media: two people at a table, someone with a glass of wine in the afternoon, a plate being set down.

These pictures do not sell a dish, they sell a situation. They answer the question of who you come here with and on what occasion — which is exactly what social media is searched for.

The rooms stay recognizable throughout. The lit lettering, the window front and the tiles appear in the background, so the set visibly belongs to the same house as the empty rooms.