Located alongside the foyer of the company’s headquarters in Paddington, the canal-side eatery is the latest cafe Kiwi & Pom has designed for Marks and Spencer.
As the space had been designed for office use, the Paddington cafe provided an unusual challenge for the design team – how to adapt it into one that would feel like a break from the office for people working higher up in the building.
“Of all the cafes we have designed for Marks & Spencer, this was one of the most challenging,” says Kam Young, co-founder of Kiwi & Pom. “Locally, people know this is the M&S headquarters, and therefore wouldn’t assume the cafe was for the general public. We had to change this perception.”
The designer had two key aspirations – to make the space welcoming and visible to passers-by and bring warmth and character to the interior.
Key to this was the idea to expose the theatre of food preparation, using it to draw people in whilst also reinforcing M&S’s culinary reputation. Instead of hiding the food preparation deep inside the cafe, the food counter sits alongside the window to draw in passers by, and is lit to become a focal point along the canal basin in early evening. At the heart of the servery area sits a marble slab cake table, a centrepiece for the cafe and point of food temptation.
“With so many cafes, food is hidden behind counters or stacked deep in fridges,” Kam continues. “Having a table laden with cakes and patisserie, where customers can help themselves, felt like a much warmer, domestic way of serving food.”
The palette of materials was inspired by traditional deli counters. A heavily-veined Arabascata marble was chosen for food preparation and display areas to act as a visual accent and to display the food. Bespoke tables were designed with butchers’ block tops, continuing the culinary theme and giving warmth to the space.
In the seating area, a series of special planters were designed to bring further warmth, identity and also a sense of privacy to the space. Filled with plants – all of which are available to buy from M&S – the planters are set on wheels to enable the furniture layout to be flexible and changed depending on the time of day.
“Our cafes are achieving industry-leading growth, and design has been fundamental to this success,” says Jason Danciger, head of hospitality for M&S. “They provide inspiration and food credentials for our customers and practical and operational ease for our teams. Kiwi & Pom has been a key design partner for us.”
