THE BRIEF

Smithson Plaza is an iconic modernist campus in the heart of London’s St James’ area completed in 1964. Conceived by renowned British Architects Alison and Peter Smithson the Plaza development is formed from the 14 storey Smithson Tower which is flanked by two lower rise buildings of the same brutalist architectural style. As part of the recent refurbishment of Smithson Tower a new specialist wine bar has been conceived by Food and Beverage operators Wilton’s Holdings. This new offering will sit alongside the building’s double height reception area with an elevated upper ground level aspect onto both Ryder St and Bury St. Locket’s wine bar also has a serviced external seated area on the Plaza operating alongside the bar. Wilton’s Holdings engaged RYE Design and Fran Hickman Design to collaborate in authoring the interiors for this new site. This needed to be carefully coordinated with the Grade II Listed brutalist building. In addition to designing the front of house bar RYE Design were also engaged to design the service kitchen and staff welfare facilities within the existing building.

THE SCHEME

The selected interior material palette of copper, cork, and green veined marble are coupled with autumnal colours drawing inspiration from nearby St. James’s Park. These are read against a striking monochromatic 60’s inspired marmoleum floor which forms the backdrop for the bar’s bespoke burnt orange resin tables designed specifically for the project. Working with the fenestration of the building’s original facade timber ribs were used to emphasise the subdivision of the glazed elevations. These ribs wrap across the ceiling to define the interior spaces creating framed views out to the surrounding streetscape. Whilst developing the interior design scheme we carefully coordinated the internal spaces with the architecture of the brutalist building with the aim of respecting and enhancing the rhythm of the Smithson’s original design.