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Soaring arches reminiscent of those seen in Ricardo Bofill’s La Fabrica feature in this decadent restaurant in St James, London designed by creative director John Whelan.Whelan – who leads artist collective The Guild of Saint Luke – told Dezeen that, prior to his intervention, Maison François simply looked like “one giant concrete cube”.
The materiality of the space immediately encouraged Whelan to base his interiors scheme around La Fabrica – an abandoned cement factory just outside of Barcelona that Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill transformed into offices for his practice in 1973.
The interiors of the restaurant are inspired by Ricardo Bofill’s La Fabrica
“I always try and find a creative route that respects the DNA of the building, and this felt appropriate,” said Whelan.
“Furthermore, the client wanted to reference historic brasseries but create a contemporary version – also reflected in the food.”
Arched recesses have been made in the restaurant’s terracotta walls
The exterior of Bofill’s La Fabrica is notably punctuated with soaring arched windows. These have been reinterpreted inside Maison François, which boasts terracotta-coloured stucco walls inset with shallow arch-shaped recesses.
“La Fabrica is probably the greatest home that I will probably never visit, and so the arches were a sort of ‘homage’ to that wonderful creation,” explained Whelan.
Tubular chandeliers hang from the restaurant’s ceiling
Walnut has been used to craft the restaurant’s seating banquettes – their latticed backs are inspired by the pews in Germany’s modernist Maria Heimsuchung church, which Whelan came across in a photography series by Robert Goetzfried.
Chairs have been upholstered in creamy linen to match the colour of the lacquered-wood dining tables. Tubular chandeliers have also been suspended from the ceiling, which has been finished with a faux-cement patina.
The seating banquettes are crafted from walnut wood
Mahogany has been used to craft a latticed hood above the open kitchen, where dishes that draw upon traditional French cuisine will be prepared.
Food will be served by both chefs and waiters, an attempt by the restaurant to diffuse the typical boundaries between front and back-of-house operations.
“Maison François will be everything a brasserie should be – welcoming, fun and hospitable, with classic dishes made with the best seasonal produce we can get our hands on – whilst also ripping up the rulebook when it comes to service,” said the restaurant’s founder, François O’Neill.
A huge clock sits above the restaurant’s open kitchen
At the centre of the hood is a huge clock that Whelan had made bespoke from patinated nickel and bronze.
Weighing half a ton, the grills on the side of the clock are meant to subtly mirror those that feature on the front of vintage Rolls Royce cars, often seen outside the restaurant on the affluent streets of St James.
John Whelan adorns Paris’ Nolinski restaurant with art-deco details
“The clock is a classic of historic brasserie design, and can be found around the world from Bouillon Julien in Paris to Fischer’s in London,” added Whelan.
“We wanted to have this iconic focal point but with our own style.”
Underneath the restaurant is a wine bar called Frank’s
Stairs lead down to Maison François’ adjoining wine bar, called Frank’s. This space is intended to have a slightly more industrial feel, so has been completed with exposed white-brick walls, polished concrete flooring and black-leather seating.
Bofill’s La Fabrica is referenced again at this level but this time in the form of arched mirror wall panels.
White-brick walls give the wine bar a more industrial look
John Whelan established The Guild of Saint Luke in 2017, working with artists, artisans and architects to restore and revive historic French brasseries.
Earlier this year Whelan overhauled Parisian eatery Nolinski, filling its interiors with art deco-inspired details like gold-leaf “sunburst” columns.
Photography is by Oskar Proctor.
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Design studio Integrated Field has created colourful arched interiors filled with animals and clouds to provide an enjoyable experience for children at a hospital in Samut Sakhon, Thailand.Playful touches in EKH Children’s Hospital include a bright yellow slide that spirals through the reception and animal shapes above hospital beds and light-up constellations that act as night lights.
A yellow slide spirals through the entrance
EKH Children’s Hospital has been shortlisted for leisure and wellness interior of the year at Dezeen Awards 2020.
Integrated Field wanted the young visitors to the medical facility to be put at ease in what can be a scary and unfamiliar place.
Waiting rooms have play areas and soft benches
The designers put fun elements, such as clouds above an indoor swimming pool and soft play areas in the waiting rooms, to help distract children who could be nervous or feeling unwell.
“Imagine being a kid dreading going into the hospital, the slide will definitely make you stop crying,” said the studio.
“The waiting area of each clinic is designed into a playground, which becomes something of a burden for the parents when having to convince the kids to leave the hospital.”
Slides make hospital visits so fun sometimes children don’t want to leave
An indoor swimming pool adds to the fun, with arched windows that form circular reflections in the water and white clouds decorating the walls against a sky-blue backdrop.
In the pharmacy, the play area is designed so that parents can easily keep an eye on their charges when they’re waiting at the counter.
The rooms are themed around animals such as rabbits
Arches above doorways and alcoves and rounded seating areas were all designed with a child’s perspective in mind, and these architectural elements were scaled to their height.
Rooms are painted in soft pastel tones, including pink, blue and yellow.
Ater Architects creates friendly interior for a children’s clinic in Kyiv
“The pastel colour tone encourages the children’s use of imagination,” Integrated Field told Dezeen.
“As a kid, we all create our own imaginary world when we are experiencing a space for the first time,” it added. “Each specific colour refers to a specific animal representing each zone, such as sky blue for whales.”
Ceiling decorations double as nightlights
Rooms for overnight stays are given animal themes to make them more appealing – Whale, Turtle, Lion and Rabbit Constellation.
The animal’s outline is picked out on the ceiling so that it is visible during the day. At night, soft lightbulbs and glow in the dark strips pick out a constellation of stars that acts as a comforting nightlight.
Arches feature in the hospital’s bathrooms
Lighting in all of the hospital rooms and corridors is also designed to be soft, rather than the harsh fluorescent lights usually found in hospital settings.
In the hospital bathrooms, the girls’ toilets are tiled pink and the boys’ yellow. Sinks and urinals are set into arched alcoves, with half of the facilities placed at a child’s height for easy access.
The facade is also decorated with animals
On the exterior facade, pastel-coloured metal screens have perforations that form the shape of animals.
“As adults, we find ourselves amazed if not a bit jealous by the mesmerising variety and development of children’s toys or even snacks these days,” said the studio.
“EKH Children Hospital will change everyone’s perception about what the space of a children’s hospital can be.”
Integrated Field was founded in 2011 and is based in Bangkok.
Other colourful children’s hospitals include a hospital in Brisbane with a colourful facade and a layout inspired by trees, and a brightly coloured children’s outpatient clinic in Kyiv that is also designed to be deliberately un-threatening.
Photography is by Ketsiree Wongwan.
Project credits:
Owner: Ekachai HospitalInterior architect: Integrated FieldArchitect: S:CSBLandscape architect: S:CSBLighting designer: Nopporn SakulwigitsinthuEnvironmental graphics: Integrated FieldStructural engineer: S:CSBElectrical engineer: S:CSBSanitary engineer: S:CSBMain contractor: Adisorn ConstructionInterior contractor: Open Interior, PansinSignage contractor: D.R. Advertising
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