Under the creative direction of Tom Dixon, Design Research Studio (DRS) have created the interiors for Bronte, a new restaurant located on the Strand overlooking Trafalgar Square. Inspired by the history of the Strand, Victorian explorers, extraordinary collectors and Cabinet of Curiosities, Bronte is DRS's first standalone restaurant since Eclectic in Paris.
The restaurant boasts striking architectural features such as an arched glazed façade leading from the traditional colonnade terrace into a double heighted space with a mezzanine level and a more intimate dining room towards the back. Floor to ceiling windows bathe the pantry area in natural light, with a subtle and stylish palette traveling through to the main restaurant.
Against a neutral backdrop, sit large feature elements in extraordinary materials - a pink concrete breakfast bar, a green granite kitchen and a pewter cocktail bar, custom design furniture with green leather and black timber booths- each celebrating a different part of the eclectic all-day food and drink offering.
Elements of a 'collector's house,' with treasures from far afield, run throughout the design. Each area uses colors and 'cabinet of curiosities' characteristics to create its own personality, with remarkable materials used generously and boldly.
Tom Dixon products featuring at Bronte include:
FADE: A cluster of gold Fade pendants sits over the dining booths, the fading metalized surfaces referencing heat and smoke rising from the kitchen. FADE's teardrop shape focusses the lightbulb's output into a satisfyingly round and luminous circle, acting as the ultimate oversized spotlight. The metalized finish is unusual as it graduates from completely reflective to transparent in an even fade along the body of the light.
CURVE: A new curved geometrical light that pushes the boundaries of thin sheet etched metal fabrication. With its microscopic precision-pierced surface and soft nickel silver coating, Curve internally reflects and emits a filtered glow of ethereal light.
PLANE wall: A large grid of Plane wall lights in the ceiling coves throughout the restaurant. Minimalist yet expressive, the PLANE wall lamp is constructed from two interlocked square brass-plated steel frames that enclose a double-layered white glass sphere. PLANE wall emits a soft ambient light and can be used in multiple configurations either on the wall or on the ceiling.