Enter through the kitchen
Moro’s award-winning chefs Samuel and Samantha Clarke asked us to turn a former paint shop within a warehouse in Hackney Wick’s Fish Island into a flexible event space and daily eatery for local residents and creative studios.
The aim was to work with the character of raw structure that was there, in keeping with the industrial feel of the area, diners enter through the kitchen. This makes for quite a dramatic entrance, so we wanted to play with this idea – tiered floor to ceiling storage mimics theatre stage curtains revealing a pegboard wall hung with functional and inspirational cooking pieces and bright green industrial storage adds splash of colour. Salvaged 1950s ‘Heyes of Wigan’ lighting is in keeping with the industrial setting.
Once diners have been given a tantalising glimpse of the meal to come, they step into the bright white dining room and terrace with views over the River Lea Canal, Olympic Stadium and Anish Kapoor’s Orbit. Painted floorboards and brickwork preserve the existing character of the building while a wood burning stove and communal tables and benches create a convivial atmosphere.
Key to the design of the dining area was the creation of an opening of the wall facing the canal to house. Retractable sliding glass doors can open fully to connect to outdoor space and canal.
Bare plaster walls and concrete board, form the interior of the WC with a custom designed terrazzo sink, housing and mirror with integrated lighting
In keeping with the requirement for flexible storage we designed mobile pull out stackable storage on castors at the entrance prep area.
The waste material from the build site was reused to make outdoor seating and worktables and surfaces. Existing division wall was renovated and old floorboards uncovered.
The scheme makes subtle use of utilitarian raw materials such as concrete board, pegboard, bare plaster on the wall and ceilings. Grey painted rough cut sawn planks to form the main bespoke storage unit whilst a combination of new and repurposed terrazzo are used in the kitchen and WC spaces. Accents of green are used to form industrial storage shelving, as well as mobile free standing ladder.
Complition 2020
Photo: Moonray studio