Christopher’s, a stalwart of the Covent Garden dining scene, has reopened with an opulent new interior designed by De Matos Ryan, who worked in close collaboration with the restaurant’s owners. Eschewing the current climate of austerity and abstinence, the sumptuous new interiors hark back to a bygone era of glamour and revelry, celebrating the ornate and exceptional character of the existing building and the atmosphere of heady decadence embodied in the fabric of the place.
Originally opened in 1991, Christopher’s has become a much-loved institution amongst London’s media crowd. It occupies a Grade II Listed building in a prominent location opposite the Lyceum, in the heart of London’s Theatreland.
The Martini Bar is conceived as a theatrical and atmospheric drinking parlour, with a palette of materials expressing the rich patina and alchemy of cocktail mixology.
Features include a 6.6m onyx sharing table which offers at the bar drinking and upholstered banquettes tucked under a canopy of dark sumptuous teal buttoned velvet, which offer a more intimate experience. The main focal point of the room is a gold mirrored and brass-clad bar. Bottles are displayed against a faceted smoked gold mirror backdrop cut with the repeat abstracted motif of a martini glass that is animated by a dynamic installation of suspended lights.
The dining room is a much brighter space with expansive windows overlooking London’s Theatreland. The two-tone grey panelled walls are framed by a theatrically-lit silver gilded ceiling cornice, and accented by flashes of warm gold velvet in the predominantly grey leather upholstery. The furniture is bespoke and includes individual soft back dark wood chairs and booth seating, carefully arranged to create intimacy within the larger dining space and maximise magnificent views across Waterloo
Bridge from the smaller dining space. The room is lit by slender black metal wall and ceiling lights designed by Serge Mouille.
The Club Room and bar in the basement shares the design language of the main spaces, incorporating mirror lined walls and a brass-clad bar so that the spaces are distinct yet unified. The entrance hall sets the tone with its charcoal grey walls, restored marble floor and domed ceiling highlighted with warm silver ornament.
