How our design honours our location

Posted on March 26, 2015 by admin

When Aqua Restaurant Group creative director David Yeo and designers Jestico + Whiles were working together to create a fitting interior for a contemporary British restaurant, they took as inspiration two commodities closely associated not just with Britain, but also particularly with the south bank of the River Thames – gin and tea.

Our west-facing dining area, known as the Gin Wing, evokes the louche, smoky atmosphere of south London’s old gin distilleries through its use of dark oak, smoked mirrors and rich aubergine leather, with colourful Liberty of London peacock-print fabric on the banquettes. Gin bottles lining the alcoves on the wall complete the look!

The decor of the east-facing Tea Wing meanwhile is in an elegant, restrained palette of browns and greys, with a long banquette faced in a different Liberty print fabric (as with the Gin Wing, the print is designed by William Morris) in muted monochrome.

Look carefully in the alcoves along the Tea Wing’s dark oak-panelled wall, as here you’ll see a collection of tea canisters and related items from around the world, including domed vitrines containing tea buds – the ‘tips’ used to make the best tea. While converted, many of the warehouses from which tea was traded still line the Thames; they and the river can be seen clearly through our floor-to-ceiling windows.

If there’s anything else you’d like to know about the design of aqua shard do let us know in the comments – everything you see around you has a story to tell!