Gundry & Ducker Turns West End Workshop into Parisian Bistro
Gundry & Ducker has transformed a Grade II-listed Covent Garden workshop into Cassette, a 1,151-square-metre Parisian-style bistro with acoustic theatre curtains.
Programme
- Gundry & Ducker renovated a Grade II-listed 19th-century gothic workshop in Covent Garden for Cassette
- The restaurant spans 1,151 square metres, seating 52 indoors plus 30 on an outdoor terrace
- Co-founder Tyeth Gundry said the brief called for "a neighbourhood restaurant in the centre of town"
- An acoustic curtain hung in gantry structures references the West End theatre district and controls reverb
- Owners Mark Gurney and Matt Bushnell sourced artworks from local markets and car boot sales
London studio Gundry & Ducker has converted a Grade II-listed nineteenth-century workshop in Covent Garden into Cassette, a Parisian-style bistro spanning 1,151 square metres in the heart of the West End.
The restaurant seats 52 customers across a ground-floor dining room and a basement level. An outdoor terrace adds 30 more covers when the weather permits. The building itself supplied a dramatic starting point: a gothic structure with double-height ceilings and an expansive glass facade with intricate detailing.
How do you build a 'neighbourhood restaurant' in the West End?
The client brief shaped the concept from the start. "Our brief talked about a neighbourhood restaurant in the centre of town," Gundry & Ducker co-founder Tyeth Gundry told Dezeen. "From there, the conversation centred on familiarity, recognition and ease – creating a neighbourhood restaurant for friends who live in different parts of the city."
The studio drew on traditional Parisian bistros to achieve that familiarity. The interior mixes:
- Deep aubergine finishes
- Dark banquette seating
- Classic bentwood bistro chairs
- Natural fabrics, sapele wood and stainless steel
- Exposed brickwork
The result, the designers say, is a restrained colour palette and a "deliberately unfussy" interior.
Colour decisions were driven by how the room would behave at night. "We talked a lot about colour: summer park landscapes, Parisian bistros and wine," Gundry said. "Tone too was really important; we needed colours that would dim well to help us create a low-level evening setting that feels warm; the key to which is controlling reflected light."
Why does the dining room have theatre curtains?
The surrounding theatre district informed more than the name of the neighbourhood. Gundry & Ducker installed a sophisticated sound system and a statement acoustic curtain that wraps around the main dining area, hung within gantry structures.
"We felt that we could explore the world of theatres given the restaurant's location in London's West End," Gundry said. "By placing the curtain within gantry structures, they became theatre curtains and added some character to the space."
The curtain also does functional work in a double-height room. "In this case, acoustics was as much part of the conversation as colour or operation. The curtains help to control reverb and talk about a softer acoustic," he continued.
Cassette's owners, Mark Gurney and Matt Bushnell, added a further layer of character themselves, sourcing a selection of artworks from local markets and car boot sales to introduce pops of colour and personality into the space.
The project joins a run of recent hospitality interiors featured on Dezeen, including Bétyle Studio's wood-heavy design for the Parisian eatery Arcane 17 and Rockwell Group's Skywalker Grill at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. With Cassette, Gundry & Ducker demonstrate that heritage architecture and bistro shorthand can coexist without either one shouting.
Original: gundryducker.com
