From Historic Repair to Go-To Material: Why Assembly Design Studio Keeps Specifying Tin
Some materials make a strong first impression. The best earn a place in the next project.
Assembly Design Studio first turned to American Tin Ceilings while repairing an original ceiling at Lincoln Tavern in South Boston. More than a decade and over 20 hospitality projects later, tin has become one of the firm's most trusted materials.
Its appeal goes beyond pattern and finish. In an industry shaped by tight schedules, existing-building surprises, and demanding installation conditions, Assembly returns to tin because the team knows how it will look, how it will install, and who to call when questions arise.
A Relationship That Started with a Historic Ceiling
One of Assembly Design Studio's earliest experiences with American Tin Ceilings came during its work on Lincoln Tavern approximately 13 or 14 years ago. The restaurant had an original tin ceiling, but portions needed to be repaired after the ceiling had been cut into. Assembly sourced new panels to patch those areas while preserving the character of the existing installation.
Around the same period, the firm used tin to help match an original ceiling at Monument Tavern. Those early restoration projects introduced the team to a material that felt especially appropriate for Boston's historic building stock—and they also marked the beginning of a long-term supplier relationship.
Since then, Erica Diskin of Assembly Design Studio estimates that the firm has specified American Tin Ceilings products in well over 20 projects. What began as a practical preservation solution gradually became a repeatable hospitality design strategy.
Desnuda Cocina & Bar Photo: @assemblydesigns
Creating Character Without Being Locked into One Style
Assembly Design Studio specializes in restaurants, bars, hotels, and other hospitality environments. The team approaches each project as a complete setting rather than a collection of individual finishes.
"We love to approach a project where we're trying to create, soup to nuts, what the whole set looks like for this new restaurant concept."
— Erica Diskin, Assembly Design Studio
That process relies heavily on texture, feeling, and visual layers.
"A lot of our design approach is in textures and feel and layers. Tin is one of those amazing materials that we tend to include in a lot of our design boards."
Tin gives the firm several ways to add that layer. Depending on the project, it may appear on a ceiling, wall, or bar front. It can reinforce a building's historic character, introduce pattern into an otherwise simple surface, or add reflectivity and dimension to a more contemporary interior.
Working throughout Boston and the Northeast means Assembly frequently encounters older buildings with original wood, brick, plaster, and architectural details. Diskin describes herself as an "old soul" who gravitates toward spaces that feel as though they have a history.
"We try to recapture that with tin a lot because that was a material that's been around forever in a lot of these original buildings."
But the firm does not use tin only in vintage-inspired environments. The same material can take on a different personality depending on the pattern and finish. A distressed or hand-painted treatment may feel aged and collected, while a clean satin finish can appear lighter, sharper, and more contemporary.
For Assembly, that flexibility makes tin less of a signature style and more of a versatile design tool.
Louis Corner A clean satin finish reads lighter and more contemporary.
From Concept Board to Installation
Assembly's specification process often begins during the earliest stages of design. The team pulls pattern and finish imagery from the American Tin Ceilings website into its mood boards, helping clients understand how the material fits within the broader concept before final selections are made.
"The website's great, so that's really helpful to refer to when we're creating our mood boards."
Once the client approves the direction, the team reviews physical samples, confirms the finish, and coordinates with the installer to choose the appropriate Nail-Up, Drop-In, or Snap Lock installation system.
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Diskin also maintains a tin sample library for client meetings. Seeing the product in person allows clients to evaluate the color, relief, and way the metal responds to light.
Because Assembly has worked with the material for so long, the team does not need to start from scratch with every specification.
"We're so familiar with the product that we're confident in what we're ordering."
That familiarity saves time and helps the team move from design approval to ordering without introducing unnecessary uncertainty.
Confidence When Hospitality Projects Move Quickly
Restaurant and hotel projects rarely offer unlimited time for experimentation. Designers are coordinating around opening dates, contractor schedules, client budgets, existing conditions, and products that are often needed immediately. In that environment, experience with both the material and the supplier can help keep a project moving.
That became especially clear during Assembly's work on Willow Springs. The team was retrofitting an existing ceiling grid when it discovered that the application required clips that had not been included in the original order. American Tin Ceilings Sales Rep Rhonda helped coordinate the missing components and had them shipped overnight.
The moment was relatively small, but it demonstrated why Assembly continues returning to a familiar product and supplier. The team understands the installation systems, can anticipate many of the questions a contractor may ask, and knows whom to contact when conditions on site change.
For Diskin, a valuable supplier offers more than an attractive material. It provides consistency, clear communication, and confidence that the finished product will meet expectations.
Greater Predictability Through Domestic Manufacturing
That predictability also extends to sourcing. Diskin said imported products have become increasingly difficult to budget because tariffs, freight costs, and other charges may be added after an order is placed. Those changes can leave designers in the difficult position of returning to a client with a final cost that no longer matches the approved budget.
"It's great just knowing that this product is not going to surprise you after ordering in terms of pricing."
American Tin Ceilings manufactures its tin-plated steel products in Bradenton, Florida. For Assembly, domestic manufacturing contributes to more than a Made in the USA story. It also provides greater visibility into where the material comes from, how long it may take to arrive, and what the final cost is likely to be.
That level of predictability matters when a project is already balancing a demanding schedule and numerous moving parts.
Authentic Character Without Salvage Complications
Assembly Design Studio has used reclaimed tin when an authentically aged surface supported the concept. Reclaimed material, however, comes with its own challenges. The edges may be extremely sharp. Panels can require extensive cutting and coordination, and variations between pieces may complicate installation.
The firm has also encountered projects where clients independently substituted lightweight PVC panels intended to resemble pressed metal. In Diskin's experience, the difference is apparent.
"You just know that they're not the real tin."
New unfinished tin provides another option. Assembly has worked with decorative painters who apply custom aging treatments to the panels, creating the character of a salvaged material from a more consistent starting point.
"We've done a lot where we have a decorative painter put his own spin on it. We like that versatility."
North American Motor Car Headquarters Photo: @assemblydesigns
This approach gives the design team control over the finished appearance while preserving the depth, reflectivity, and material presence of genuine metal.
Trust Earned One Project at a Time
Assembly Design Studio's relationship with tin began with a practical problem: repairing an original ceiling without losing the character of the space.
More than a decade later, the material has become a familiar part of the firm's hospitality toolkit. The team understands its design range, knows how it behaves on site, and trusts the support behind it.
That trust was not created by one dramatic installation. It was earned across more than 20 projects, one successful specification at a time.
"Having been through it, you know that it's a solid material."
For a hospitality designer responsible for delivering a memorable setting on a real-world schedule, that confidence may be the most valuable feature of all.
Prima Italian Steakhouse Photo: @assemblydesigns
Bring Tin into Your Next Hospitality Project
Explore American Tin Ceilings' commercial ceiling and wall products, order samples for your material library, or connect with our team for help selecting a pattern, finish, and installation system for your next restaurant, bar, or hotel project.
