The 1940s Hollywood look has been ubiquitous in bars and restaurants this year. Soft pink tones, luxurious velvet fabrics, rounded forms, and gleaming brass accents have appeared all over.
As conclusive evidence, we spotlight a compact, carefully curated subterranean bar in London.
North Audley Cantine (NAC) opened its doors in Mayfair, London, toward the end of 2013.
The venue quickly became a fashionable destination for Bond Street shoppers and the post-work crowd, offering French-inspired sharing plates, desserts, and custom cocktails.
In autumn of this year, the three co-owners—childhood friends David Bellaiche, Gabriel Cohen-Ella, and head chef Jeremy Coste—decided it was time for a refresh.
The lower-level bar, called Chez Chow, took its name from Teddy, a Chow Chow belonging to one of the owners. The space was charming but dim, and it required a renovation.
The owners aimed to keep the bar distinct from the main restaurant upstairs, which features a minimalist aesthetic with whitewashed brick, marble tables, stark lighting, and leather chairs.
Designers Christian Ducker and Tyeth Gundry, from the London firm Gundry + Ducker, selected a cheerful pastel pink for the 34-square-meter (369 sq ft) room, which has a low ceiling and no windows.
They incorporated curved forms, deep-blue velvet banquettes, pale marble tabletops, vivid blue flooring, transparent dividers, mirrors, and custom lighting—all crafted by Gundry + Ducker—to differentiate it from the upstairs and to make the previously dark bar feel more spacious.
Tyeth Gundry explains, "In designing this space, we were drawn to 1940s Hollywood because it blends optimism with glamour—a purposeful counterpoint to the rough wood and industrial look still prevalent in London."
The renovated basement now accommodates 22 guests in an airy, well-lit environment that feels far bigger than its actual dimensions. — Tuija Seipell.
Photography by Andrew Meredith.
For more venues with comparable aesthetics, see our related articles.
This article originally appeared on The Cool Hunter.
