Silver Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design · 2021
Maison Francois Restaurant
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: The Guild of Saint Luke
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 50,758
- Verification code 6235E03932 · Verify this award
About Maison Francois Restaurant
Maison Francois is a restaurant of 500 square metres, created inside a bare concrete shell. The coffered ceiling is made of phonic material painted in faux cement to match the polished concrete floor. Curved walnut banquettes with privacy glass uppers are upholstered in cream linen, and floor-to-ceiling cream linen curtains offset the terracotta stucco and mirror arches. Joinery is in walnut and mahogany, with patinated brass and nickel metalwork. The central island pass forms the focal point of the room and links the kitchen to the dining space.
Maison Francois Restaurant by John Whelan exemplifies a distinguished approach to contemporary hospitality design that draws upon the enduring vocabulary of Mediterranean and classical European architectural traditions while articulating a distinctly modern sensibility. The space orchestrates a dialogue between monumental gesture and intimate scale, employing a colonnade of terracotta-finished arches that evoke the thermal halls of antiquity and the grand cafés of continental tradition, yet rendered with a contemporary restraint that honors material authenticity. The chromatic strategy demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how warm earth tones—ranging from deep burnt sienna through softer terracotta to creamy neutrals—can establish psychological warmth while maintaining visual sophistication. Technical accomplishment is evident in the precision joinery of the curved banquette enclosures, where walnut-toned wood frames articulate vertical rhythms that echo the upper balustrade, creating coherent material narratives throughout the vertical dimension. The textured concrete ceiling introduces controlled rawness that grounds the refined elements below, suggesting the honest expression of structure that characterized mid-twentieth-century design philosophy while serving acoustic and atmospheric functions. Pendant luminaires composed of clustered cylindrical forms reference both Art Deco glamour and modernist simplicity, their warm glow suffusing the space with flattering illumination conducive to social dining. The designer appears to understand hospitality as fundamentally about creating environments that simultaneously shelter and elevate, that transform the ordinary act of dining into ceremonial occasion. One might observe how the repetition of arched forms creates a visual rhythm that guides the eye while establishing a sense of generous amplitude, inviting the viewer to consider how architectural memory can be reactivated to serve contemporary purposes of gathering and conviviality.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Initially, the concrete shell was taken as the starting point, creating a Brutalist ceiling coffering and laying down a polished concrete floor. Once the framework was established, ensuing elements were designed to create that elusive warmth and intimacy. Curved walnut banquettes with privacy glass uppers are upholstered in a resistant cream linen that are tactile and inviting. They correspond with floor-to-ceiling cream linen curtains that offset the grandeur of the imposing terracotta stucco and mirror arches.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 500 square metres floor space
- Tags
- Restaurant, Brasserie, London
- Production Technology
- The coffered ceiling was realised in phonic material and painted in faux-cement to match the polished concrete floor. Joinery is in walnut and mahogany, with patinated brass and nickel metalwork. Upholstery and drapery is in cream linen.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge was the space that was inherited from the landlord. A far cry from the warm and welcoming environment desired by the client, it was a cavernous concrete shell with no discernible features of interest. The façade offered little more by way of inspiration, being part of a somewhat generic new build. It was therefore necessary to think carefully about how the large volume could be animated, and how to create visibility from the street.
- Project Duration
- The project started in September 2019 and opened in September 2020
- Operation Flow
- Bringing the kitchen into direct conversation with the room was key to creating a vibrant atmosphere, and so the central island pass became the focal point of the room. It sits underneath a monumental Rado inspired clock flanked by a lambs-tongue mahogany and bevelled mirror canopy that recalls the windows of the Ismaili Centre. Metals range from patinated nickel to burnished brass, all heavy on texture and designed to warm up the space.
- Research
- Much of the research that went into this project had been conducted over several years, working on restoring and re-designing historic brasseries in France. Everything that was learned by the studio during this period was applied to the project, but this knowledge was infused with more contemporary reference points such as Postmodernism and Brutalism in order to evolve the genre.
- Inspiration
- Rather than taking the more tried and tested route of looking to the Art Deco period for inspiration, the design looked at successful residential conversions of Brutalist spaces, such as Ricardo Bofill’s, La Fabrica. What interested the team was how the designers managed to create a sense of intimacy and warmth despite their imposing concrete surrounds. The solution was to find the right dosage of these ideas, within a more traditional brasserie framework.
- Image Credits
- Photography by Oskar Proctor