Category Archives: Restaurants & Coffee Shops
Restaurants and coffee shops are really upping their game in terms of design and Vm. They can be very inspiring. we will hunt for the best.
Julies Deli – Gaillac France
I was in Gaillac in France last week and was looking around and thinking mmm lots of same looking modern shops as back home and then came across this lovely new deli. It stood out amidst the hum drum looking stores.
Love the old style facade, the colour and traditional signage.
Harris and Hoole – Independent Coffee Chain?
Getting out of a cab last week in Uxbridge the first thing to greet Lynda and I was a sign saying “great coffee served here” quite a statement.
Looking up we saw a new coffee house called Harris and Hoole, the name sounded very poetic [the names originates from a diary exert by Samuel Pepys], the glass fronted exterior was covered in doodles telling me lots of info about the company and their ambitions.
It dosnt take more than a few doodles and a sniff of an independent to draw us in; and we weren’t disappointed the interior decor looked really great. The design is following the very popular trend of recycling, renewing and reinventing.
There were all the ingredients of an independent store a community notice board, great music playing, people playing board games, live events advertised, hand written signage, quirky toilets and very friendly, knowledgable staff.
But there was something a little bit too ordered about the place, it looked and felt like an independent but in a “Disney” sense, i couldn’t quite put my finger then my business partner googled the company and found out that they were independent but financially backed by Tesco a big sigh followed this news.
But after looking at their website reading about the owners the Tolleys and reading quite a few press articles a few of which were giving them a hard time for supposedly deceiving their customers by not mentioning Tesco [it does clearly and proudly mention that they are backed by Tesco on their website] I thought does it really matter that they are backed by one of the biggest companies in the UK? Arnt a lot of companies looking for investors? And the banks are forthcoming with their money these days; and didn’t Tesco start out as an independent.
After drinking one of the best lattes i have had in a while i came to the conclusion that it dosnt matter, the most important thing is that its a great new business giving the public a choice, the town a lovely looking shop and lots of people job opportunities.
But don’t let my rantings sway you, pop along to one of their branches, look at their website and and decide for your self.
PS, it did feel a bit ordered but hopefully will get a little bit rough around the edges once the hoards stark flocking to it, which I’m sure they will.
Click here to read an interview with Nick Tolley, Chief executive of Harris and Hoole.
Click here to visit the Harris and Hoole website.
STARBUCKS BY KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES
NOT YOUR AVERAGE STARBUCKS BY KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES
If you’ve been in one Starbucks, you’ve been in them all…. or so I used to think, before I saw this one designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates. Gone are the generic interiors that you find in most of the empire’s coffee shops and instead you’ll find a very cool, and peaceful aesthetic at this location that sits close to the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in the Fukuoka Prefecture of Japan.
The shrine is one of the most visited in Japan with over 2 million visitors a year and since the Starbucks is on the path to the shrine, it was important to fit in with the other traditional buildings on the route.
There is a homey feel overall, and with the repetitive use of thin wood sticks, about 2,000 in all, it creates a cohesive, cave-like space that people are drawn to.
The natural wood is woven diagonally and starts on the walls and carries over onto the ceilings and it continues out the facade of the shop.
Words and Photos by
Caroline Williamson is Associate Editor of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and writes about her life, inspirations and creative pursuits on her element75 blog.
Read more at Design Milk: http://design-milk.com/not-your-average-starbucks-by-kengo-kuma-and-associates/#ixzz2HHxPwJAA
The Modern Pantry – Clerkenwell – London
Modern comes from the Latin term modernus; pertaining to, or characteristic of the current period. It conjures up the excitement of something new, fresh and original.
Pantry comes from the Latin word panis, meaning bread. A pantry is a cupboard or room which houses the necessities of life…
Together, these two words embody The Modern Pantry’s philosophy: the desire to please and excite the palate by fusing everyday cooking with modern ingredients. And the interior design isn’t half bad either.
47-48 St John’s Square . Clerkenwell . London . EC1V 4JJ 020 7553 9210
Workshop Coffee Clerkenwell London
Occupying a cavernous space in Clerkenwell, Workshop Coffee Co is a café, restaurant and roastery all under the same roof. Workshop is unique in that they are equally passionate about serving delicious coffee and food. The secret of their success? Working with suppliers who share the same values as them in finding good quality ingredients (rare breed beef for burgers and sourcing coffee beans from reputable estates). Weekend brunch is popular and highly recommended – no reservations are taken, so it’s best to head there early.
[words by The Upcomming]
Visit Workshop Coffee Co, 27 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RN
The Cool Hunter – Restaurant Farma Kreaton – Komotini, Greece
Restaurant Farma Kreaton (Meat Farm in Greek)is the recently opened addition to the well publicized Fabrica Kreaton restaurantlocated in the center of the city of Komotini, (Adrianoupoleos 4) in northeastern Greece.
The architecture and interior design of both spaces are by Minas Kosmidis (Μηνάς Κοσμίδης) with offices in Thessaloniki and Komotini.
In the case of Farma Kreaton, graphic designer Yiannis Tokalatsidis created the minimalist, hand-drawn graphics and cut-outs of cows, chickens and the scenery of the countryside that set the whimsical barn-yard chic tone to the entire space.
The 270 square-meter (almost 3,000 square- feet), 150 seat new restaurant is in essence an additional open-concept eating area to the existing Fabrica Kreaton that, in turn, is themed around a Greek butcher shop. Both are housed in a renovated 1950s farm house with a large yard.
In Farma Kreaton, in addition to the graphic components, we were attracted to the lovely, white-painted wood floors and the overall feel of a temporary barn-raising supper.
The simple plank tables, the mismatched, unpretentious chairs, the humble potted plants and herbs on the tables, all exude a feel of a space dedicated — just for the moment — to sumptuous eating and enjoyment of good company.
The hay bales, pick forks, watering cans and cut-out animals remind the diners of the work done and to-be done on the farm, the dinner beings just a moment of celebration — perhaps of a good hay harvest or a successful calving.
In short, Minas Kosmidis and his team have managed to create a believable semblance of a working farm without going overboard and ending up with a contrived, pretentious “concept” instead.
The food at Farma Kreaton is typical Greek meat-based plates, and the diners are predominantly locals. Tuija Seipell.
The Cool Hunter – Restaurant Farma Kreaton – Komotini, Greece.
Mitchell – St Andrews
Love the interior design of this fab restaurant and deli in St Andrews Scotland.
The attention to detail is superb with a feast of ideas to see.
Click here to visit their website
Visit them at
110 – 112 Market Street
St Andrews
KY16 2PB
Alexandra Nurseries – Penge SE London
How happy was I to discover that a boutique independent garden centre has opened up just around the corner from my house.
Off I went the other day to see if it would live up to all the gossip I had heard about it.
The answer is most defiantly yes.
It has been set up by John and Sarah and is located in the former caretaker’s office and maintenance workshop for the Alexandra Cottages, a small estate of 181 homes built between 1866 and 1868 by the Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes.
They have created a gardening oasis that is not only full of amazing plants but has been displayed beautifully and imaginatively using old pieces of furniture, ladders, bushel boxes etc.
They have a small interior area which doubles up as a vintage home store and cafe: again kitted out using up cycled furniture and found items.
The coffee is superb and all the cakes are homemade by family and friends.
There is much inspiration to be found in this amazing little garden centre.
Here are a selection of photos for you to peruse.
Click here to visit their website
Address:
Estate House, Parish Lane
Penge, London
SE20 7LJ
Telephone:
+44 (0) 208 778 4145
The Natural Kitchen – Marylebone – London
The second of this weeks Marylebone stores is the amazing The Natural Kitchen. This store is not only packed full of amazing products but they are beautifully displayed. The store is cleverly designed to look like it hasn’t been designed, but rather naturally growing out of an eclectic mix of fixtures, up cycled furniture and a dash of fun.
Here are a selection of photos of the store and a link to their website.
