Caravan Kings Cross - Restaurant, Bar and Roastery
Caravan Kings Cross - Restaurant, Bar and Roastery
Project scope
The design of a restaurant, bar and coffee roastery, to be housed in an original Grade II listed Victorian Granary in King's Cross, London. The client sought a design which would emphasise the coffee roasting to be performed on-site in support of the business’s nationwide coffee distribution. This development would build on the success of Caravan Exmouth Market.
Client
caravanrestaurants.co.uk
Role
As creative director: all architectural, interior, and design aspects
Collaborators
Proprietor and Co-designer: Laura Harper-Hinton
Fabricators: True Staging www.truestaging.co.uk
Project details
Conceptually, the project references ‘the factory’ aspects of the coffee roasting business. The bare bones of the granary have been left untouched, although have been complemented with a number of industrial steel frames lined in mesh to define kitchen, roastery and public areas. This mesh allows a direct relationship to be maintained between the public and operational areas of the restaurant and coffee roastery, with sights, sounds, smells and textures permeating throughout. Critically, such factory-inspired surfaces are balanced with intimate lighting in dining and drinking areas, as well as textured fabrics such as original army blankets for seating upholstery. This creates a warm and relaxing atmosphere within the beautifully vast space. The result is unique to London in its scale, buzz, and uncontrived honesty.
It’s a brave restaurateur who’d attempt to tame these monolithic rooms – and the guys behind Caravan haven’t tried – they’ve let the building dictate the terms, celebrating the towering ceilings and concrete with a deliciously butch design. The giant coffee roaster behind the bar is a statement of intent - Metro, London