河岸小酒馆

Bankside Bistro

Project Notes

In a club of tall, formal rooms we set out to make some place soft, still and restful.

To that end we deployed a small number of moves.

A pale, dusty green wraps the room. It is as gentle as colour comes. And it is a counterbalance to the warm hues of roasted oak, unlacquered brass and freshly sanded, bleached Kauri.

An old ceiling has been torn out, its cavities stuffed with technical foam, and thin, pencil-edged planks placed at finely-tuned spacings across the ceiling. In conjunction with soft linen upholstery and plush rugs, the room sounds soft, clear and restful.

In detailing, we focused on reduction and precision, offsetting tactile, organic material. Sharp cabinets of toothy oak are adorned with handles in bronze: sand castings of bluestone, taken from the wall alongside. Nested within are big soft squabs in heavy weaves of ivory linen; pale curtains drop from discrete ceiling voids behind.

In the corner, an ovoid disc of green stone seats group of eight. Anchoring the room is a giant swamp kauri slab with machined edges and an archipelago of fluid, irregular legs. Overhead, hand carved discs of kauri are pierced by fine brass tubes, throwing little pools of light onto the tables.

We hoped all of this would add up to a humble, gentle little room; a place that quietly stands up to the grandiosity of its surrounds.

Photographer

Samuel Hartnett