UK

Subterms

    Latest story

    150 Shares28 Views

    Sam Jacob gives “soft brutalist” University of Kent building a modern makeover

    by

    Architecture studio Sam Jacob Studio has refurbished a 1960s building at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, using playful architectural references and bright colours to add layers of “wit and delight” to the existing interiors.

    The project provides teaching spaces for the university’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning, which is part of a campus designed by William Holford that opened in 1965.
    Sam Jacob Studio has refurbished the interiors of a 1960s University of Kent buildingSam Jacob Studio (SJS) looked to retain what it described as the “soft brutalist” character of the brick and concrete Marlowe Building when reorganising the existing interior.
    The Marlowe building originally housed the university’s physics department, which featured a series of cellular offices on the ground floor and a top-lit lab space above.
    The studio wanted to retain the building’s “soft brutalist” feelingFollowing a detailed consultation with faculty and students, Jacob and his team defined a strategy that balances areas dedicated to specific year groups and subjects with the ability to transform and open up the spaces.

    The team at SJS said it was interested in “what happens between the logic of architecture and the happenstance of creative working”.
    They based their design on a variety of famous creative spaces including the Bauhaus school and Paul Rudolph’s brutalist Yale Art and Architecture Building, as well as The Factory created by artist Andy Warhol in New York City.
    Large sliding doors were used to separate spacesThe architects gutted the existing interior to expose the concrete ceiling alongside the building’s structure and services, which were retained as the backdrop for a series of minimal interventions targeted at fulfilling the space’s new role.
    “This is a project that reveals the intrinsic qualities of the 1960s building, while also contrasting a more fluid contemporary character,” the studio said.
    “It is an architecture that invites inhabitation rather than imposing order, that recognises character, wit and delight as part of an essential role of architecture.”
    Polycarbonate portholes allow light to pass through the spacesSJS worked as much as possible with the existing spatial layout, adding just one wall to the ground floor and two on the first floor so that the interiors can evolve to meet different future requirements.
    Rather than functioning merely as static partitions, the walls are activated by incorporating moving components that can be used to adapt the layout of the studios.
    Large sliding doors with polycarbonate portholes allow some of the spaces to be separated, while pivoting wall sections can be opened or closed depending on the desired layout.

    Cannon Design draws on “essence of Michigan forests” for university building

    The partition walls incorporate full-height pinboards for displaying work. These surfaces were given a more dynamic appearance by cutting the boards diagonally from corner to corner.
    The standard-height pinboards are topped with a shelf, onto which adjustable lights are clamped to allow illumination of the students’ work. Mirrored panels above the shelf create the illusion of a continual space.
    Pinboards feature clamped adjustable lights to illuminate student’s workThe studio can be customised further to suit different working modes by rearranging freestanding elements including drawing boards, easels, screens and moveable storage units built using standard warehouse shelves.
    Existing furniture was reused wherever possible, while doors salvaged during the strip-out were converted into desks, with yellow laminate pieces added to fill in holes where the locks and vision panels were once located.
    Pivoting wall sections can be opened or closed depending on the desired layoutThe interior incorporates several explicit architectural references, according to SJS, including a colour palette based on Le Corbusier’s 1959 paint system.
    “A series of columns used to define thresholds act as 1:1 models of, variously, Canterbury Cathedral, Brancusi and James Stirling, like a library of other architectures inhabiting the school,” the team explained.
    To prevent sunlight from overheating the studios, a series of coloured window blinds was added along with moveable perforated pinboard panels that help to control privacy. This creates a changing topography that animates the building’s exterior.
    Moveable perforated pinboard panels provide privacy and shadingSam Jacob established his eponymous studio in 2014, having previously worked as part of the radical architecture collective FAT for over 20 years.
    Previous projects by SJS include a new entrance at London’s V&A museum made from hundreds of glass tubes and a brightly coloured studio and office for designer Yinka Ilori.
    The photography is by Timothy Soar.

    Read more: More

    More stories

    • 125 Shares149 Views

      in Rooms

      Quincoces-Dragò & Partners creates “relaxed, seductive ambience” for Mayfair restaurant

      by

      Architecture studio Quincoces-Dragò & Partners has unveiled The Dover restaurant in Mayfair, London, which was informed by art deco design.

      The first solo venture from Martin Kuczmarski, formerly group COO at Soho House, the restaurant was designed to be “unpretentiously elegant” and have a “relaxed, seductive ambience”.
      The long, narrow restaurant was made up of a series of dimly-lit spaces that were designed to be gradually unveiled.
      The interiors feature extensive panelling in American walnutEntering from the street, the fully glazed reception area is separated from the restaurant with a dramatic velvet curtain in deep burgundy.
      On parting the curtain, a long central corridor leads – across a black and white marble chequered floor – past a bar on one side, and open-plan and banquette seating on the other.

      The chequered runway continues between the bathrooms and private dining booths, before ascending a few steps into an intimate wood-panelled dining room “reminiscent of a bygone era of fine dining”.
      Curved dining booths feature Murano glass chandeliers”The space itself is challenging – long and narrow with a major corridor connecting the main areas, which is where we ended up creating the most intimate booths of the whole restaurant,” David Lopez Quincoces and Fanny Bauer Grung of Quinconces-Dragò & Partners told Dezeen.
      The three private dining booths, in curved dark wood panelling, each feature a Murano glass chandelier by Venini.
      Curved wood panelling is used in the dining roomKuczmarski described the spaces of The Dover as “a buzzy bar, intimate dining booths, and then the main dining room”.
      “The shape of the space has become part of the customer journey,” he added.
      Kuczmarski worked closely with Milan-based Quincoces-Dragò & Partners on the design, aiming for a “contemporary art deco vibe” achieved through dim lights, curved American walnut panelling, contrasting textures and the chequered floor.
      Lighting fixtures are a mix of modern and art decoWood panelling is the main element in the restaurant, which the designers said “creates intimacy whilst nodding to tradition”.
      The curved panelling for the dining booths is echoed in curved corners and ceilings of the main dining room, which is a fully panelled space.

      Lina Stores South Kensington designed to “evoke the rhythm” of Italian espresso bars

      Velvet upholstery was chosen, in part, to manage the acoustics – a “fundamental aspect when designing the space”, Quincoces and Grung explained.
      The black and white chequerboard floor was made from nero marquinia and calacatta marble, which are both characterised by a veined appearance, softening the solid colour.
      Brass accents feature throughoutBrass lamp stands, with shades reminiscent of wood veneer, line the bar.
      The design of the interiors is “simple and straightforward when looking at it plainly, but rich with many details as you discover it piece by piece” said the designers.
      “The secret to good design is detail, detail, and more detail – and above all proportions!”
      Three private dining booths make up one area of the spaceRelief from the comprehensive wood-panelling comes in the form of red lacquered display cabinets.
      Wall lights with art deco glass sconces and a curved corrugated perspex panel in the dining room further break up the wood panelling.
      A curved corrugated perspex panel breaks up the wood panellingThe panel traverses from wall into ceiling in the dining room and functions as a “non-window” to prevent the space from feeling confined in wood panelling.
      With Kuczmarski, Quincoces-Dragò & Partners worked to create “an atmosphere that is welcoming – one that, as Martin says, ‘makes you feel good at first glance'”.
      The central corridor leads past the bar through to private booths and dining room beyond”The spirit of art deco – which is serious but playful, lush while elegant – inspired us tremendously when Martin spoke to us of his idea for The Dover,” Quincoces and Grung explained.
      Other Mayfair restaurants recently featured on Dezeen include Tutto Bene’s “sombre elegance” for the interiors of Nightingale and Japanese steakhouse Aragawa’s London outpost, featuring Rosendale Design’s paper pendant lights.
      Photography is by Matt Russell, courtesy of The Dover

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares165 Views

      in Rooms

      Will Gamble Architects modernises London Victorian house with “soft minimalism” interiors

      by

      UK studio Will Gamble Architects has extended and modernised a Victorian house in south London, using curved shapes and a palette of natural materials to create a calm and minimalist aesthetic.

      The clients – a married couple looking to create their forever home – asked Will Gamble Architects to oversee the transformation of the semi-detached house in Putney into a serene sanctuary.
      Architecture firm Proctor & Shaw initially developed the planning drawings before Gamble’s studio was appointed to develop a cohesive interior design service throughout the home, including technical drawings and revised spatial layouts for the upper floors.
      Will Gamble Architects has extended and modernised a south London Victorian houseTo fufil the clients’ request for increased space, a rear and attic extension was added.
      “We were keen to maximise space and light as much as possible through clever design solutions,” architect Will Gamble told Dezeen.

      “This was particularly relevant over the upper floors where the brief called for four bedrooms and three bathrooms which a conventional layout couldn’t accommodate.”
      Gamble’s “soft minimalism” approach is defined by gentle tonal huesGamble applied an approach he described as “soft minimalism” throughout the interiors, utilising a restrained palette of textural materials to ensure consistency across all floors.
      “Soft minimalism is defined by curved lines, gentle tonal hues, natural materials and carefully curated spaces,” said the architect. “This aesthetic allowed us to deliver a highly bespoke project tailored to our clients’ needs.”
      Muted colours enhancing the “soft minimalism” aesthetic include whites and pinksArched niches, curved walls and a bespoke staircase with semi-circular landings, circular spindles and a turned-oak rail contribute to an aesthetic defined by a gentle geometry.
      Muted colours including warm whites and soft pinks provide a soft and coherent backdrop, while more textured materials including pippy oak and richly veined marble add personality to some of the spaces.

      Emil Eve Architects brightens London house with terracotta tile-clad extensions

      The new staircase was illuminated by an oval roof light that continues the theme of gentle, round forms. The roof light casts natural light deep into the floor plan and is openable to allow stack ventilation to naturally cool the interior.
      Bespoke joinery brings functionality and visual interest to rooms including the main bedroom, where a headboard unit made from pippy oak provides additional storage as well as concealing the en-suite shower room.
      Textured materials like pippy oak and richly veined marble add flare to certain spacesThe bespoke bed and headboard with integrated wardrobes are centrally located within the room to maximise the available space. The en suite contains a pair of marble-clad vanities either side of a walk-in shower.
      Pippy oak was used elsewhere in the house for furniture including bedside tables and built-in storage. The wood’s distinctive knots and knot clusters stand out whilst complementing the other natural materials.
      “The ‘cats paw’ pattern of the pippy oak adds a decadence to the otherwise muted material palette,” Gamble added. “We used this unique material in key areas to help establish a hierarchy across the spaces throughout the project.”
      A pippy oak headboard unit in the main bedroom conceals the en-suite shower roomAs part of the renovation project, the building’s historic fabric was thermally upgraded to reduce energy consumption and create a more comfortable environment. A home automation system was also incorporated that minimises visible light switches and contributes to the uncluttered, minimalist interiors.
      According to Gamble, the owners were interested in “achieving a high-quality finish driven by an acute attention to detail”, which led to a highly bespoke project tailored to their exact requirements.
      Will Gamble established his London-based studio in 2018 after working for architectural practices Farrells and Francis Philips Architects. The office specialises in sensitively retrofitting existing buildings through contemporary architectural interventions.
      The studio’s previous projects include a home built within the ruins of a 17-century parchment factory in Northamptonshire and a glass-walled extension to a Georgian house in Leicestershire.

      Read more: More

    • 150 Shares133 Views

      in Rooms

      Archmongers celebrates “raw beauty of brutalist concrete” in Trellick Tower apartment refresh

      by

      Newly exposed concrete walls are paired with a matching terrazzo in this sensitive home renovation by London studio Archmongers in North Kensington’s Trellick Tower.

      Led by architects Margaret Bursa and Johan Hybschmann, Archmongers reworked a duplex apartment on the 23rd and 24th floors of the listed 31-storey tower block.
      Archmongers has renovated a Trellick Tower apartmentThe design stays true to the original layout and materials palette but some small adjustments help to emphasise the building’s brutalist character.
      Bursa and Hybschmann chose to expose the coarse concrete aggregate walls, while new fixtures and surfaces are made from industrial-style materials in complementary tones.
      Materials were chosen complement the newly exposed concreteThe effect is most striking in the kitchen, where the speckled brown and cream terrazzo sits alongside brushed stainless steel counters, white cabinets and matt-black linoleum flooring.

      Archmongers designed the home for a client who divides their time between London, Italy and Switzerland.
      “Our client was looking for a refurbishment which was true to the simplicity and modesty of the original fit-out,” Bursa told Dezeen.
      Matt-black linoleum provides flooringThe aim, she said, was to embrace “the raw beauty of brutalist concrete” and emphasise “the use of honest materials in every intricate detail”.
      “The contemporary update is drawn from the original architecture,” she said.

      Trellick Tower apartment revamped to resemble “cool concrete loft”

      “We exposed the in-situ cast concrete walls in the living spaces and on the stairs, adding material richness to the interiors and linking to the course aggregate concrete of the exterior facade.”
      Completed in 1972, Trellick Tower was designed by Hungarian-British architect Ernö Goldfinger and famously features a separate staircase tower connected to the apartment floors by enclosed bridges.
      A secondary doorway was replaced with an internal window to create extra storageArchmongers made few changes to the apartment layout, which they described as “very efficiently designed”.
      The largest intervention closed up a secondary doorway that previously led through to the kitchen, instead creating an internal window above additional storage and counter space.
      The same material palette features in the living roomAn adjustment was also made on the upper level, where some of the space from the cloakroom was reallocated to make room for an extra shower.
      In bathrooms on both floors, tap and shower fittings sourced from Italian manufacturer Fantini Balocchi provide flashes of bright red and yellow that reference the coloured tiles found throughout Trellick Tower.
      Bathrooms feature white tiles with putty-coloured grout and brown terrazzo”The communal hallways of Trellick Tower each have a different tiled colour theme, which inspired our use of colour,” Bursa explained.
      Warm tones emanate from other surfaces in these rooms, including a terrazzo with the tone of walnut wood and white tiles outlined by putty-coloured grout.
      Tap and shower fittings provide flashes of bright red and yellowThe Trellick apartment is the latest in a series of mid-century renovations that Archmongers has completed and not the first to feature in a famous estate.
      Past projects include reworks of a duplex in the 1950s-built Golden Lane Estate and an apartment in the Barbican, as well as a revamp of a 1960s terrace.
      A new hand-carved walnut handrail was added to the staircaseHere, the building’s Grade II* listing meant that Archmongers was required to retain the original metal lightswitches, even though they couldn’t be certified after the electrics were rewired.
      “There are now two sets of light switches; one new and one original but no longer working,” Bursa said.
      Other sensitive additions include a new hand-carved walnut handrail for the staircase, which runs parallel to the modernist-style metal and timber balustrade.
      The duplex is located on the 23rd and 24th floors of Trellick Tower”Preserving the architectural integrity of the building was paramount,” Bursa added.
      “The Trellick Tower project serves as both an homage to the building’s historical significance and a timeless update that elevates its legacy to new heights.”
      The photography is by French + Tye.

      Read more: More

    • 175 Shares154 Views

      in Rooms

      Max Radford Gallery opens London showroom to get people “in front of real objects”

      by

      Max Radford Gallery has opened a permanent space in east London that shows collectible designs from its past shows, including pieces by Carsten in der Elst and Amelia Stevens.

      Located in Hackney Downs, the showroom displays works that the gallery first showed at Belgium’s Collectible design fair, as well as pieces from earlier exhibitions.
      The showroom is located in east LondonBy combining works from different stages of its designers’ careers, the gallery aims to showcase how the artists it works with have developed over the years.
      “It’s a privilege to be able to track a designer’s development and change in their practice across a few pieces in the same space,” founder Max Radford told Dezeen.
      It features pieces by 15 designersThe gallery, which launched in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, focuses on emerging artists. By opening a physical space, it hopes to also help them reach a bigger audience.

      “The Max Radford Gallery seeks to platform emerging creatives who are working in the grayscale between art and design with a London-centric focus,” Radford said.
      “This has always been the particular area that the gallery has been engaged with and stems from a need for physical spaces to see these types of works in London, rather than just on social media – as the only option was when the gallery was beginning.”
      Collectible furniture designs are on display at the galleryAmong the artists showing in the space are In der Elst, whom the gallery had previously included in its Hard Knocks show, and Stevens, who took part in Max Radford Gallery’s exhibition at the Aram Gallery.
      The new space also showcases furniture and accessories by designers Georgia Merritt, Fred Thompson, Grace Prince, Nic Sanderson, Inga Tilda, Eddie Olin, EJR Barnes, Ty Locke, LS Gomma, Natalia Tifantilyi, Andrew Pierce Scott, Louie Isaaman-Jones and Matthew Verdon.

      Aram and Max Radford Gallery showcase emerging designers in Now 4 Then exhibition

      Max Radford Gallery is now located in a minimalist studio, which its founder intends to keep as a paired-back space.
      “The showroom is a beautiful white-painted studio space with just over half of the floor plan having triple height up to skylights, producing beautiful changing light across the day,” Radford said.
      “We haven’t made any architectural changes to the space and are not sure that we will, potentially with the exception of some sort of temporary mezzanine in the triple height space for an exhibition-specific installation,” he added.
      Max Radford Gallery focuses on emerging designersBy opening a permanent gallery, Radford wants to support London’s community of emerging designers.
      “It’s for the community aspect that is introduced by the communal use of creative space; there is a burgeoning community of designers and artists in London with lots of crossovers through universities and workshops that support and raise up its members,” he said.
      “Facilitating a space for communities like this to express and interact seems like a key aspect to supporting what is going on here in London currently,” he added.
      The showroom features pieces from previous exhibitionsHe also hopes that the physical aspect of the space will encourage people to see design pieces in person.
      “It’s as simple as getting people in front of real objects, not just heavily retouched or rendered images of them,” Radford concluded.
      The photography is by Richard Round Turner.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Webb Yates creates structural stone frame for Royal Academy summer exhibition

      by

      A post-tensioned stone frame by engineering firm Webb Yates is among the exhibits in the architecture rooms of this year’s Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibition, curated by London studio Assemble.

      Webb Yates worked with The Stonemasonry Company to create a frame made from cored cylinders of waste limestone joined together with tensioned steel rods, aiming to showcase stone as a modern, low-carbon structural material.
      It is one of the many pieces displayed at the annual Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibition, which is open until 18 August, and is part of the architecture section curated by Assemble around the theme “spaces for making”.
      A post-tensioned stone frame is on display at the Royal Academy summer exhibition”Webb Yates and The Stonemasonry Company have been advocating a return to stone structure to reduce carbon and pollution,” Webb Yates cofounder Steve Webb told Dezeen.
      “Many people construe this as a suggestion to return to the massive stone structures of the past but we want to reimagine how stone can be used by modern engineers and stone masons.”

      “The pylon demonstrates how post-tensioning slim stone elements can achieve strength and rigidity at a fraction of the carbon cost,” he continued.
      Webb Yates Engineers used steel rods to connect cored limestone cylindersDisplayed in the octagonal central hall at The Royal Academy of Arts, the stone structure is imagined as an alternative to building with steel, Webb explained.
      “Imagine crane masts, bridges or space frames like the Eden Centre and Stadium Australia being formed with stone elements instead of steel,” he said.
      “With a world-saving 75 per cent carbon reduction, inherent durability and fire resistance, we can put waste stone to use and make some really pretty structures.”
      Assemble curated two rooms at the exhibitionThe stone structure is displayed alongside architectural models, material samples, drawings and photographs in the architecture rooms – a regular feature at the annual summer exhibition, which also showcases various mediums of art.
      Other stone pieces in the show included a model of Artefact’s Brick from Stone installation and a column segment designed by Palestinian architects AAU Anastas, which is made up of a bulging piece of stone sandwiched between two stone fragments taken from a demolished building in Bethlehem.
      One gallery is designed as an industrial storage spaceAssemble, which was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 2022, arranged the architecture exhibit across two rooms.
      Aiming to reflect the profession’s working processes, the central hall is curated as a studio-like display of works and the adjacent gallery is designed to appear like an architectural storage space, with exhibition pieces displayed on industrial shelving.

      Why aren’t more architects using stone as a building material?

      “We wanted to approach the two rooms slightly differently and show architecture in the space that it’s usually made,” Assemble’s Kaye Song told Dezeen.
      “We’re used to seeing architecture models and drawings presented in such a pristine way but that’s not usually the context you view finished architecture works,” Song added.
      “One gallery we’ve turned into an industrial storage-like space using off-the-shelf products like palette racking and wall-mounted brackets, and the other room has taken an artist’s studio approach.”
      Exhibits are displayed on industrial shelvingHanging from a skylight in the central hall are sheets made of biomaterials by artists Jessie French and Shanelle Ueyama. Surrounding them are mosaic panels by volunteers at the Hackney Mosaic Project and a glass sculpture by designer Yinka Ilori.
      In the adjacent room on the industrial shelving, which will be reused elsewhere after the exhibition closes, is a set of tools by sculptor James Capper, architecture models and casts by architecture studio Stanton Williams and rammed-earth stools by ceramic artist Lyson Marchessault.
      AAU Anastas also contributed stone exhibits to the exhibitionAssemble founding member Maria Lisogorskaya explained that a wide range of designs from different types of makers, not just architects, were chosen to create an engaging exhibition.
      “We wanted to showcase the breadth of the profession with models, tools, material samples and community projects, not just individual projects,” said Lisogorskaya.
      Tools by James Capper are among the other exhibits”There’s a range of people; there’s architects, product designers, structural engineers, fashion designers, musicians, scientists, community organisations,” Lisogorskaya continued.
      “We wanted to have a really broad net of people together under one roof to make for a more dynamic show.”
      Also taking place is the London Festival of Architecture, for which an eclectic range of benches has been installed on the Royal Docks and Unknown Works has constructed The Armadillo pavilion from eucalyptus wood.
      The photography is by Kaye Song.
      The Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibition takes place from 18 June to 18 August 2024 at Burlington House in London. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      “Proud Mancunian” Norman Foster to renovate Manchester United training ground

      by

      Architecture studio Foster + Partners has begun work renovating the interiors of the men’s first-team building at Manchester United’s Carrington training complex.

      The renovation of the training ground located around six miles from the club’s Old Trafford home stadium commenced yesterday and is being led by Foster + Partners founder Norman Foster, who is from Manchester.
      Born in Reddish in 1935, Foster described the design as capturing “the spirit of industry, grit and ambition that exemplifies both Manchester and Manchester United”.
      “As a proud Mancunian, it is a particular honour for me to see Foster + Partners given this responsibility,” he added.
      Foster + Partners will renovate the men’s first-team building at CarringtonThe project will include a complete interior refurbishment of the building, transforming it into what Manchester United described as a “world-class football facility”.

      Foster + Partners will initially focus on creating more streamlined interiors for the gym, as well as medical, nutrition and recovery areas.
      Renders show sandy-hued interiorsRenders released by Foster + Partners show sandy-hued, open-plan spaces illuminated by floor-to-ceiling glazing and filled with potted plants.
      “When we conducted a thorough review of the Carrington training facilities and met with our men’s first team players, it was clear the standards had fallen below some of our peers,” explained club co-owner Jim Ratcliffe.
      “This project will ensure Manchester United’s training ground is once more renovated to the highest standards,” he added.

      OMA unveils Manchester’s flexible cultural event space Aviva Studios

      The renovation is the latest stage in wider developments at Carrington, where the Manchester United Women and Academy building opened in October 2023.
      The Foster + Partners project is set to last through the next football season, although temporary adaptations will be made to the rest of the Carrington site to accommodate player and staff needs during the renovation period.
      The studio has designed the architecture for previously completed sports venues including London’s Wembley Stadium, which opened in 2007, and the more recent Lusail Stadium in Qatar created for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.
      The renderings are courtesy of Foster + Partners. 

      Read more: More

    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Lina Stores South Kensington designed to “evoke the rhythm” of Italian espresso bars

      by

      Interiors studio North End Design has applied the distinctive pistachio green synonymous with London’s popular Italian delicatessen and restaurant chain Lina Stores to the company’s newly opened branch in South Kensington.

      Positioned on the corner of Exhibition Road and Thurloe Square, the South Kensington restaurant is the seventh outpost of the well-known deli, which opened in Soho in 1944.
      The Lina Stores team worked with local studio North End Design to create an interior that balances the chain’s history with its most recent location.
      Lina Stores South Kensington includes the brand’s distinctive pistachio green”For South Kensington specifically, we added a more elevated look to mirror the neighbourhood,” Lina Stores told Dezeen.
      The brand’s “signature” pale green clads the facade, from which the deli’s recognisable stripy awning protrudes.

      Inside, the designers centred the restaurant around an open kitchen counter and coffee bar that wraps one side of the eatery and is topped with dark timber and stainless steel.
      The designers centred the restaurant around an open kitchen counterThis feature was chosen to reference the hustle and bustle found in traditional Roman and Milanese espresso bars.
      “These bars tend to be at the centre of their communities, which is very much how we see our restaurants and delicatessen when we open in a new neighbourhood,” explained the brand.
      Mismatched bentwood chairs provide seatingMismatched bentwood chairs and deep green banquettes were arranged around rectilinear tiled tables to create seating areas across the restaurant, which features a ceiling painted the same distinctive pistachio as the facade.
      Plump, leather-upholstered stools with fat cream-hued piping were also positioned at the bar – the focal point of the eatery where “everything happens”.
      Black and white photography and newspaper cuttings line the wallsThe team dressed the space with steel columns and beams – taking cues from classical Milanese colonnades – and painted them dark green “to evoke the rhythm of the architecture of Milan”, said Lina Stores.
      Chequerboard flooring features throughout the space, finished in a mixture of dark green mosaic and terrazzo tiles.
      Gloss lacquered sapele wall panelling matches the dark timber of the chairsGloss lacquered sapele wall panelling matches the dark timber of the dining chairs, while second-hand Tuscan credenzas and cabinets were sourced as waiter stations.
      “They were included for an elevated, vintage look,” Lina Stores said.
      Chequerboard flooring features throughout the spaceAcross the restaurant’s walls, a selection of vintage Italian black and white photography was combined with framed newspaper cuttings documenting Lina Stores’ history.
      “The collection and positioning of the artwork throughout the space has a spontaneous feel to it, like a wall at an old cafe that’s been added to organically over time,” explained the brand.

      Pirajean Lees draws on Japanese and Spanish design for Kioku restaurant and bar

      North End Design also added “opaline” globe lighting to the eatery, in a nod to the same bulbs illuminating Lina Stores’ original Brewer Street deli.
      “We take an individual approach to each one of our locations so no Lina Stores restaurant and delicatessen looks the same,” said the brand.
      “While all the restaurants are very much inspired by our first delicatessen, we see them as extensions and a way to further develop and bring in different elements of Italian design.”
      Globe lighting nods to the Brewer Street deliArchitecture studio Red Deer designed the first of the Lina Stores restaurants on Greek Street, minutes from the original deli. French designer Olivier Delannoy recently created the interiors for Daroco restaurant located just around the corner.
      The photography is by Adam Firman. 

      Read more: More

    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Tutto Bene balances steel and mirrors with wood and leather in Nightingale restaurant

      by

      Design studio Tutto Bene drew on “the sombre elegance of theatre and museum lobby cafes” when creating the interiors for the Nightingale restaurant in London.

      The 60-square-metre space, which opens to a courtyard in London’s Mayfair neighbourhood, references Viennese coffee houses, known locally as Kaffeehäuser.
      “We thought London is missing spaces with the atmosphere that we know Kaffeehäuser for,” Tutto Bene co-founder Oskar Kohnen told Dezeen.
      Nightingale’s interior draws on Vienna’s coffee housesNightingale’s “stage-like” dining room was also informed by “the sombre elegance of theatre and museum lobby cafes”, Kohnen said.
      “Nightingale’s sloped ceiling, abundant drops of fabric curtains, as well as the curtain-like wall panelling play on this idea,” he explained.

      The restaurant has a colour palette that emphasises green and cream colours, with a floor made of cement tiles in various green hues.
      A pale green floor contrasts with white wallsCream-coloured walls and curtains contrast against silvery details, with a monolithic stainless-steel bar functioning as the room’s centrepiece.
      “The courtyard plant life suggested the green colour,” studio co-founder Felizia Berchtold told Dezeen.
      “Based on this we added light and shadow through layers of black and white,” she added. “The surfaces interacting with the daylight create an abundance of hues in an overall calm tonality. It’s simple but dramatic.”
      Tutto Bene added a stainless-steel counter as a centrepieceMirrored, tiled columns add to the theatrical feel of the space, for which Berchtold also designed the sculptural Satellite Pendant, a spinning chandelier.
      It was manufactured by the Austrian brand Kalmar, which has a history of designing lights for Viennese coffee houses, and features pleated cream lampshades that orbit around a steel axis.

      Tutto Bene references Streamline Moderne in tiny New York eyewear store

      “I initially drew the lamp during my travels in Japan last spring,” Berchtold said.
      “It was inspired by paintings of sea roses and the craft of fan making, as well as ideas around motion and dance. We developed the design together throughout the year.”
      Felizia Berchtold designed the Satellite Pendant lamp for the restaurantKalmar’s vintage glass scones decorate the mirrored glass columns, while Tutto Bene’s angular Sketch lamp sits on the wait station and its round Oblo lights can be found on the ridged walls.
      The studio also worked with a variety of materials to give the space a tactile feel.
      Nightingale features tables made from burl wood and stainless steel, which was also used for the bar and as a detail on the wait station, where it contrasts against swathes of cream cloth.
      The studio also designed the furniture for the spaceTutto Bene’s Cafe Chair, made from stained wood and saddle leather, was used for seating along with wooden benches in the same style.
      “The material palette balances crisp and formal materials such as steel and tiles with texture and playful warmth, resembled in the ever-changing drapes of fabric, the burl wood tables and saddle leather chairs,” Berchtold said.
      Tutto Bene recently created a Streamline Moderne-informed New York store for eyewear brand Cubitts. Also in Mayfair, design studio Pirajean Lees designed an Arts-and-Crafts inspired restaurant called 20 Berkeley.
      The photography is by Ludovic Balay.

      Read more: More