What’s a museum, no matter how new or bold-faced its credentials, without an equally tempting dining room in which to rest weary feet, and to dismantle the blockbuster show you’ve just swept through? It’s a gastronomic question that applies equally to the Design Museum’s new home in John Pawson’s freshly renovated former Commonwealth Institute in London.
Located on the top floor of the building, Parabola – a reference to the swoop of the copper roof – is awash with natural light and soothing views of Holland Park’s green swathe. By the looks of it, Universal Design Studio has spared no expense in its fit-out, installing long stretches of polished pewter and populating the floor with collaborative designs by the likes of Flos, Vitra and Benchmark.
In the main restaurant, waiter stations are built of blue stained ash, window banquettes with green leather, whilst the bar is lined with stools designed by Barber & Osgerby for Vitra. Meanwhile, the members’ room extrapolates the pewter mood-board with blue and black sofas alongside wood benches and seats, again by Barber & Osgerby.
But what of the food, you ask? Well, restaurateur Prescott & Conran has installed a series of guest chefs, the first of which is Rowley Leigh who is on kitchen duty until 28 January. He delivers familiar favourites like the Parmesan custard with anchovy toast; pike sausages; partridge served with cabbage chartreuse; and steamed oysters with beef jelly.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
224-238 Kensington High Street
-
Tour Nuanu Creative City, a new Bali district informed by art, nature and technologyWelcome to Nuanu Creative City: Bali’s unprecedented 44-hectare creative development is taking shape
-
DS Automobiles makes good on its conceptual promises with the new DS No.8An all-electric flagship, DS No.8 is either a high-riding saloon or a low-slung SUV. Either way, it illustrates a welcome dose of fresh thinking from the French manufacturer
-
Why is the watch world so fascinated by science fiction?This year watchmakers have once more ventured into outer space for our timekeeping needs, with a new generation of young watch brands showcasing sci-fi styles
-
Osteria del Mare brings a slice of coastal Italy to The StrandSpanking fresh fish is the house speciality in this new London restaurant with a menu inspired by the Tuscan seaside
-
London's best Thai restaurants for flavour enthusiastsLondon’s best Thai restaurants each offer their own unique spin on the cuisine that push boundaries and present new culinary experiences. Browse our pick of the best
-
Harrods revives beloved 113-year old restaurant, The GeorgianRedesigned by David Collins Studio, The Georgian at Harrods in London is where art deco artistry, elegance and theatrical flair collide
-
Claridge’s welcomes ultra-chic new suites by Bryan O’Sullivan StudioThe newly inaugurated Brook Suites at Claridge’s, are uplifting, tactile and in touch with the revered London hotel’s timelessness
-
Chef José Pizarro’s artful new ode to Spanish dining in London is called LoloLolo, located in London’s fashionable Bermondsey Street, offers a taste of Extremadura in an art-filled setting
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openingsExplore the best new hotels in the world, from beachfront living at Cheval Blanc Seychelles to otherworldly Zaha Hadid architecture at Me Malta
-
First look at Belmond’s new ‘romantic and nostalgic’ luxury trainBelmond introduces the Britannic Explorer, the first high-end sleeper train experience in England and Wales
-
London bar Bauhaus Warehaus is a factory by day, drinking den by nightMixologist of the moment Remy Savage shakes up the world of cocktail-making with a hardworking sibling to A Bar with Shapes for a Name, his Bauhaus-inspired bar enterprise in east London
