Long a beacon for the sketchier end of London’s Oxford Street, Centre Point has undergone a transformation in recent years. From brutalist 1960s office tower to a luxury complex with apartments, restaurants and retail units, the structure’s reincarnation is now complete with the opening of VIVI, a flagship restaurant led by hospitality group Rhubarb.
A combination of four slick spaces – VIVI Bar, VIVI Dining, VIVI Gallery and VIVI Liquid Lounge – VIVI manages to be both a pit stop and late night hangout, offering everything from classic cocktails in an homage to old school bartending, to a nostalgic all-day menu of British dishes, updated for a crowd who perhaps wouldn’t remember them from the first time around.
The space bears all the hallmarks of a Rhubarb project. Dramatic jewel-toned velvets and marble surfaces mingle in the four distinct areas, each flooded with natural light via floor-to-ceiling windows, which also offer unrivalled views of the Oxford Street buzz below, albeit from a peaceful distance.
The crowning glory is the bespoke plexiglass and brass chandelier, which hangs over the curvilinear bar that is clad with the plated bronze metallic Harper tile by Giles Miller Studio. Inspired by 1960s Italian design, French art nouveau and Bauhaus modernism, the chandelier is designer Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt’s first public commission in the capital – a fitting debut in this revival of a London icon.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Centre Point
11 St Giles Square
-
The Subaru Forester is the definition of unpretentious automotive designIt’s not exactly king of the crossovers, but the Subaru Forester e-Boxer is reliable, practical and great for keeping a low profile
-
Sotheby’s is auctioning a rare Frank Lloyd Wright lamp – and it could fetch $5 millionThe architect's ‘Double-Pedestal’ lamp, which was designed for the Dana House in 1903, is hitting the auction block 13 May at Sotheby's.
-
Naoto Fukasawa sparks children’s imaginations with play sculpturesThe Japanese designer creates an intuitive series of bold play sculptures, designed to spark children’s desire to play without thinking
-
Marylebone restaurant Nina turns up the volume on Italian diningAt Nina, don’t expect a view of the Amalfi Coast. Do expect pasta, leopard print and industrial chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Treehouse Hotel Manchester: you may not want to leafTreehouse Hotel Manchester offers a nature-infused biophilic sanctuary amidst the city’s ever-growing architectural canopy
-
Dining at Pyrá feels like a Mediterranean kiss on both cheeksDesigned by House of Dré, this Lonsdale Road addition dishes up an enticing fusion of Greek and Spanish cooking
-
London restaurant Tatar Bunar puts Ukrainian heritage front and centreFamily recipes and contemporary design merge at this new east London restaurant by Ukrainian restaurateurs Anna Andriienko and Alex Cooper
-
Corner Corner may be London's most unique entertainment destination yetThe newly-opened venue combines food, jazz and—yes—urban farming beneath one sprawling roof
-
For a taste of Greece, head to this playful new restaurant in London’s ChelseaPachamama Group’s latest venture, Bottarga, dishes up taverna flavours in an edgy bistro-style setting
-
A buzzy Korean pop-up becomes a permanent fixture in East LondonChef Joo Won has turned his Calong pop-up permanent in the arty enclave of Stoke Newington
-
New London restaurant Alba is a sun-soaked affairIts name meaning ‘sunrise’ in Italian, Alba is a new Amalfi-inspired restaurant set to shine in Knightsbridge
