Expectations ran high when Australian-born Skye Gyngell opened her very own restaurant. She had previously turned Petersham Nurseries outside London into a legendary restaurant where colours, vegetables and greenhouse flowers set the tone for both the setting and the menu.
Restaurant — London
Stuart Forbes Associates
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HeartOak
Thickness 30 mm. Mixed widths 300-500 mm. Length 2-6 m
Finish Light Oil
With Spring Restaurant, located in the iconic Somerset House in London, she has once again succeeded in bringing out the full potential of a space, this time in cooperation with Stuart Forbes Associates and her sister, Briony Fitzgerald, who is an interior designer.
The passion for seasonal produce is still at the heart of her work, now surrounded by a delicate, feminine universe in the high-ceilinged neo-classicist rooms with pillars and arches, where Apparatus’s chandeliers float like little clouds. The colour scheme is understated, in white, grey and neutral shades, delicate pink sofas from Danish &tradition, flower decorations and olive trees.
Nature is also at play in the HeartOak floor, finished with Light Oil, which complements the colour scheme and brings a warm and elegant feel to the restaurant. The butterfly joints in the oak planks are a beautiful detail that is perfect for a universe where even the uniforms are special-designed and created for the individual user. Marble, cognac-coloured leather, gold and brass have also found their way to Spring Restaurant, creating an extravagant setting for what is at the core of it all: tasty dishes based on natural ingredients shaped by Skye Gyngell’s hand and heart.
In addition to Spring Restaurant and several other dining establishments, Somerset House is home to many companies and organisations as well as art and design exhibitions and outdoor music and film events. As a special feature, the yard with its 55 dancing fountains is transformed into an outdoor skating rink in winter. Indoors, at Skye Gyngell’s, however, it is eternal springtime. The season that inspires her most profoundly with its abundant, aspiring nature.
