Cúpla decorates Rixo Marylebone store with hand-painted murals
CategoriesInterior Design

Cúpla decorates Rixo Marylebone store with hand-painted murals

Interior design studio Cúpla has completed a boutique for fashion brand Rixo in central London that features hand-painted illustrations and colourful zellige tiles.

The clothing store on Marylebone High Street was revamped by Cúpla, whose creative director Gemma McCloskey is the twin sister of Rixo co-founder Orlagh McCloskey.

The interior designer had previously designed the brand’s flagship store on the King’s Road and wanted the refurbished Marylebone location to have a similar feel.

Colourful illustrations in Rixo MaryleboneColourful illustrations in Rixo Marylebone
Rixo’s Marylebone store is covered in hand-painted murals

“We wanted the store to embody everything we had previously created for Rixo’s flagship store but within its own right,” Gemma McCloskey told Dezeen.

“A sense of escapism paired with a welcoming warmth within a boutique setting were the key emotions we wanted the customer to feel.”

As the brand sells hand-painted prints, the designer wanted the store’s interior to feature illustrations to reflect the style of the clothes.

Blue patterned sofa and archways in London fashion storeBlue patterned sofa and archways in London fashion store
It features modified vintage furniture

“Understanding Rixo’s roots and the fact their USP is hand-painted prints, it felt tangible to represent the brand’s values and beginnings with the illustrations,” Gemma McCloskey said.

“Given the space is quite small, we treated it almost like a living room space within a home and felt we could make it all-encompassing and personal.”

Mirror in London clothing storeMirror in London clothing store
Artist Sam Wood created colourful illustrations for the store

Artist Sam Wood hand-painted murals and illustrations throughout the store, which has a bright and playful colour palette and also features traditional glazed Moroccan zellige tiles.

“We wanted the colour palette to feel really fresh and bright,” the designer explained.

“Although there is an abundance of colours used, every line of the mural or the ‘random’ coloured zellige tile layout was methodically composed to ensure a right balance between the colours was struck.”

The studio added decorative arches and classical mouldings to the store in a nod to the architecture and heritage of its Marylebone neighbourhood.

The store also features bespoke fitting room curtains with pickle-green and flora-pink stripes by fabric brand Colours of Arley.

Zellige tiles in Rixo MaryleboneZellige tiles in Rixo Marylebone
Moroccan zellige tiles add to the playful interior

Cúpla used vintage furniture pieces throughout the store, which sells Rixo’s full collection including ready-to-wear and bridalwear.

“We actually modified existing pieces of vintage furniture, which had been previously sourced by [Rixo founders] Orlagh and Henrietta years ago in the early days of Rixo,” Gemma McCloskey said.

“They were the perfect fit for the space but didn’t have the functionality we required, so we decided to alter these instead or replace them.”

Illustrations at Marylebone storeIllustrations at Marylebone store
The store is located on Marylebone High Street

“It was much more sustainable and because the pieces were from the early years of Rixo, they had sentimental value so we didn’t want to replace them,” she added.

Other recent London stores featured on Dezeen include a Camper store with a giant foot sculpture and a stationery store with a demountable interior.

The photography is courtesy of Rixo.



Reference

David Thulstrup decorates Ikoyi restaurant with curved metal-mesh ceiling
CategoriesInterior Design

David Thulstrup decorates Ikoyi restaurant with curved metal-mesh ceiling

Copenhagen-based designer David Thulstrup drew on spice-making processes when designing the interior of London’s Ikoyi restaurant, which features a variety of materials including copper and oak.

The 150-square-metre restaurant, which has a menu based on seasonal British produce and spices from sub-Saharan west Africa, is located inside the brutalist 180 The Strand building in central London.

Wooden furniture inside Ikoyi by Studio David Thulstrup
Studio David Thulstrup has clad London’s Ikoyi restaurant in copper sheets

Thulstrup completely renovated the interior, adding panels of a specially-designed metal-mesh weave that curve up from the restaurant’s windows and cover the ceiling. The ceiling design was informed by the process of spice production.

“I was inspired by sifting spices and thought the mesh could both capture and reflect light coming from the outside, the street light in the evening and sunlight in the daytime, but also be respectful to the exterior,” Thulstrup told Dezeen. “The lights from inside the restaurant will be captured and ‘sifted’ towards the street.”

Metal-mesh ceiling decoration in Ikoyi restaurant
Decorative metal mesh was used to cover the ceiling

Thulstrup also layered materials to create a restaurant interior that references the “boldness and intensity of the gastronomy” delivered by Ikoyi‘s founders Jeremy Chan and Ire Hassan-Odukale.

The restaurant walls were lined with oxidised copper sheets finished with beeswax, while the floors were covered in Gris de Catalan limestone that was flamed and brushed to develop a hammered surface.

Curved walls in London restaurant by Studio David Thulstrup
Ikoyi is located inside a brutalist building

The custom-built furniture and built-in joinery were made from British oak, while banquettes, chairs and wall panels were lined with ginger-coloured leather.

“I always work with contrasts and I like honest juxtapositions of materials that activate your senses – the copper that is warm in colour but cold when you touch it, the warm natural ginger leather against the colder steel mesh and the rough Catalan limestone floor against the warm English brown oak,” Thulstrup said.

Large round wooden table inside Ikoyi restaurant
The colour palette was kept warm and earthy

The earthy, rustic hues chosen by Thulstrup for the interior were informed both by the restaurant’s food and the building in which it is located.

“Ikoyi is placed on the ground level of the beautiful and very active brutalist building 180 The Strand,” he said.

“The restaurant’s gastronomy plays an essential role in the palette as well,” he added. “It’s not an interpretation of a dish but an exchange in colour and tracing ingredients back to their natural form and colour.”

On arrival, visitors to the restaurant are also greeted by a large copper-clad fridge that shows the produce served at Ikoyi, with slabs of meat and fresh fish hanging from meathooks.

Copper fridge in London restaurant by Studio David Thulstrup
Large copper fridges showcase fresh produce

Thulstrup wanted the fridges to remind people of where their food is coming from.

“[The idea was] that we know where a piece of fish comes from and that we are aware what a piece of meat looks like,” he said. “It traces the story back to when the animal was alive and underscores that we have to take good care of them and appreciate them.”

“I thought it would be a modern interpretation and celebration of our awareness of food.”

Ikoyi restaurant facing the garden
Wooden and leather-clad furniture was used for the interior

Thulstrup founded his studio in 2009 and it is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The studio works in architecture, design and interiors.

Previous projects by the studio include an office in Borough Yards, London, and the revamp of a winery in California’s Sonoma County.

The photography is by Irina Boersma.

Reference