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Architects: Ola Jachymiak Studio
- Area: 190 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Simon Carruthers
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Manufacturers: New Works
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Lead Architects: Ola Jachymiak
Text description provided by the architects. Located at 103 Westbourne Grove, the third location of an award winning BEAM Café, was designed and supervised by Ola Jachymiak Studio over 2019 and 2020. The project took nearly a year to realise from scratch, including a hiatus caused by the lockdown.
In terms of the brief, the café had to seat comfortably 94 guests so the founder and creative director of the studio, Ola Jachymiak and her team had to use every inch of the space wisely. Moreover, the owners’ request was to design a unique, warm place which would attract customers with its cool yet cosy interiors. Ola and her team began with consultations over what would consist a perfect layout for this café given that the space is long and narrow with limited access to daylight. They came up with an idea of dividing the café into 3 parts: front, central and back, taking into account all pros and cons of each.
The bright entrance area welcomes guests with its strong mid-century vibe. Arched niches in one of the walls, Pierre Jeanneret-inspired mustard chairs and bespoke egg-shaped banquette turn this area into a showcase of the newest BEAM Café. Its cosy yet stylish interiors invite the Londoners to come in.
In the central part, aligned with the middle of the shopwindow, Ola and the team decided to place the bar. Visible from the street, a large island covered with stained oak beadings and topped with a massive white Calacatta marble block, consists a focal point of the café and serves not only to BEAM staff but also as a coffee-to-go point. An original Bubble lamp designed by George Nelson hung above the counter accentuates the mid-century style while a large round mirror placed right next to the bar reflects the light point and additionally illuminates this space. On the opposite wall our designers had placed a royal shelvings system which besides displaying selection of albums and decorations, provides some extra seats for guests.
The back area behind the bar was the most challenging due to the lack of natural light. Therefore our team decided to set up an original lighting installation using New Works pendant lamps. The lampshades hung on different heights illuminate the space and create a light and dreamy composition visible from every corner of café. The glossy paint on the ceiling reflects the light and enhances the effect. Raw brick wall and romantic curtains add some softness to this contemporary yet 70’s inspired interior.
In order to enrich this functional and interesting project, Ola and her team decided to use soft, neutral colours and textures such as structured plaster and terracotta hues but also to keep some original raw brick walls. The variety of shades and materials brings out the mid-century modern style and consists a perfect background for all the new designer and bespoke pieces as well as for vintage furniture and accessories carefully curated by our studio.
The combination of mid-century interior of BEAM Café in Notting Hill, unique, Mediterranean- and British-inspired dishes and warm atmosphere certainly contribute to invite the passerby to come in and become a regular guest. We at Ola Jachymiak Studio are extremely proud to have been a part of this project and to have brought our Clients’ dreams and vision come to life.
