15/11/2018 lina stores, uk | darc magazine lina stores, ukreal de azúa explained the choices of...

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15/11/2018 Lina Stores, UK | darc magazine

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Lina Stores, UKOctober 30, 2018

(Images: Mariell Lind Hansen)

The iconic Italian deli, Lina Stores, in London has a newly opened restaurant and bar with interior design completed by

Red Deer.

The original Lina Stores delicatessen opened in London in 1944, and delivered a strong midcentury Art Deco aesthetic

that Red Deer architectural practice wanted to use as inspiration for the opening of neighbouring store – 51 Greek Street,

Soho. Londonbased architectural firm Red Deer was brought on board by The White Rabbit Fund to be responsible for

designing the interior scheme for the bar and restaurant. Working collaboratively alongside the owners of the Lina Stores,

the team conceived a contemporary dining experience, which connects a ground floor open kitchen bar with a downstairs

restaurant.

Taking inspiration from the original Lina Stores, Art Deco cafes and bistros of Europe, Red Deer has sensitively

reimagined many recognisable stylistic elements and materials of the pistachiogreen and white Brewer Street namesake,

to create an evocative and authentic design for the new restaurant and bar.

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Architect Lionel Real de Azúa recounted the initial approach: “We didn’t want to duplicate the design of the original Lina

Stores, opened in 1944, in the restaurant. We looked for visual cues at the original deli that we could bring over to 51

Greek Street. The strong branding and design of the original and iconic deli, as well as its friendly, welcoming

environment also needed to be present in the restaurant. We wanted our design to be true to the values and aesthetic of

the deli, but at the same time innovative and contemporary and I think we achieved that by adding a fresh modern

twist.”

Inside, the restaurant has varying levels and heights throughout the dining and bar areas, including high counter seating.

When first entering, the dining space has a risen twelveseat diner characterised by a sleek Formica bar with fluted

aluminium detailing, concrete bar top and pale green leather bar stools. The internal walls and ceiling have remained

untouched to add a contrast to the modern additions.

Red Deer enhanced the rawness of the original building by exposing brickwork, piping and ventilation systems. The studio

also used a highly texturised plaster mix containing leftover coffee beans from the original Lina Stores Deli.

“As a practice, reuse is of great importance to us. For the design of Lina Stores, 51 Greek Street, we reclaimed where we

could and played with the innovative repurposing of materials,” explained Real de Azúa.

The different materials and textures used play an important role in this interior design and are utilised to differentiate

between different zones. The flooring is a mix of traditional green and white terrazzo and the dining furniture is a

combination of bespoke Carrara marble and aluminium tables, paired with reclaimed Formica dining chairs and fixed tiled

green banquettes with leather seat pads.

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Architect Gianna Pagliarulo described the furnishings: “We designed the tables with the help of graphic designers

EverythingInBetween. We originally wanted a graphic inlay on the tables and they came up with the idea to use the Lina

logo on the four corners.

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“The client, White Rabbit Fund, was really involved in the project from start to finish, even requesting a romantic seat in

the corner,” she added. “We wanted to bring continental touches to the façade and it was nonnegotiable that there

would be a mosaic floor to greet the guests. Not many Soho façades are tiled, so this was key to this continental design.

We even had in an input on the music selection!”

Lighting was a major detail in the design plans for the interior scheme and had to carry through the Art Deco and

reclamation theme throughout the premises. Decorative lighting played a key part in adding softness and warmth to

balance out the concrete bar top, marble, tile, aluminium materials and cool pastel green colour palettes.

Real de Azúa explained the choices of lighting fixtures used in the design to darc: “We chose outdoor wall mounted globe

lights for the exterior of the restaurant from Peter Reid Lighting, and similar reclaimed globe pendants to hang across the

open plan kitchen counter inside. These created spotlights of soft warm diffused lights and are very reminiscent of those

used in the midcentury Art Deco cafes and bistros of Italy. We also used reclaimed reeded pillar wall lights in the rear

part of the kitchen to highlight and accent the area. Again, a very Art Deco midcentury style, the fluted glass

complimented the fluted glass we used in the exterior windows and interior staircase.

“Downstairs in the main restaurant we used a mixture of further reclaimed decorative lighting; mini globe wall lights and

almost spaceage looking flush ceiling aluminium and glass lights. In the bar area we again used reclaimed reeded pillar

wall lights to really differentiate this area. The cavernous structure of the basement restaurant has an intimate feel and

we wanted to the use the lighting to emphasise that and not be too bright or clinical. We fitted dimmers to all of the

lighting across the restaurant so they can be adjusted for more moodier lighting in the evening.”


red deer15/11/2018 Lina Stores, UK | darc magazine


Similar to the external globe lights, more globes were hung over the counter across the open plan kitchen, which echo

the original designs of the older Lina Stores. To celebrate the heart of the restaurant, accent reeded Art Deco glass pillar

lights were added to the rear of the kitchen. The high polished aluminium and glass created a sparkling contrast to the

raw textures of the walls and industrial kitchen aesthetic. A unique feature of the basement dining area is a low, curved

ceiling. This proved difficult to hang pendants from, so the the team at Red Deer focused on ambient lighting surrounding

the diners.

“We didn’t want to hang pendants that would distract, disrupt and clutter the natural intimate feel of the space,” said Real

de Azúa. “We wanted to make the tiled banquette seating a focal point and pendant lights would have distracted from

this. Instead we used Mullan Lighting’s Yaounde double globe wall lights, placed vertically rather than horizontally for a

more contemporary look. We used polished aluminium and opaque glass flush ceiling lights across the arched ceiling

along with some spotlights.

“Downstairs, we incorporated a traditional rich timber aperitif and cocktail bar that feels both classically Italian and Soho

esque. Here we used the same reeded glass pillar lights as we used in the ground floor open kitchen bar.”

Continuing with the theme, the designers also added a reclaimed character to the bathrooms. Old Art Deco ship wall

lights with ribbed glass were placed either side of a brass Art Deco mirror, and hidden strip lighting was used to illuminate

the basins.

“The main challenge was creating a restaurant very much inspired by the Lina Stores deli, but that didn’t eclipse it – we

needed to compliment the original deli and create a concept that worked alongside it, especially as both sites are in

walking distance of each other in Soho,” reflected Real de Azúa.

www.reddeer.co.uk

15/11/2018 lina stores, uk | darc magazine lina stores, ukreal de azúa explained the choices of...

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