Treves & Hyde is a new restaurant and bar designed by Grzywinski+Pons, located near Whitechapel in East London. The space is intended to accommodate both formal and casual encounters, staying open for interstitial use between meal service. “It was important to us and our client that the space could function without compromise from early morning through to late night, while maintaining its functional variability,” share the architects, who provided ample flexible seating, power-points and areas geared towards both the privacy and the happenstance run-ins increasingly found in modern workspaces and cafes. “We postulated that while guests might feel comfortable working or socialising in a space seemingly appropriate for dining, they could feel less at ease dining in an environment geared towards co-working.
Accordingly, the aesthetic typology is unabashedly that of a restaurant.” The space is heavily glazed and washed in sunlight throughout the day. Grzywinski+Pons were conscious to create texture and relief in many of the surfaces while mixing materials with a sheen or lustre and those that were soft and matte in order to augment the kinetic quality of the light. “We designed the restaurant to be as warm, welcoming and happy (and even appetising) at night as it is during the day, and created the joinery and furnishings to look better with some wear and tear after heavy use.” Natural stone, ceramic, brass, timber, concrete and blackened steel feature heavily in a bold but limited palette. A considerable amount of space was given to the vegetation housed in aged terra cotta pots. “Whether enjoying a casual solo breakfast over a laptop, having a cocktail at the bar, or dining formally in a party of eight, our design decisions for Treves & Hyde were predicated on inclusivity and flexibility without concession,” concludes the design team
