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A Queen Anne-style church becomes a Cantonese restaurant

Familiar with interventions in historical buildings, London-based architect Michaelis Boyd transformed and old church into a design restaurant.

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  • 29 January 2018
  • London
  • Michaelis Boyd
  • restaurant
  • 2017

Within a former church in London, Michaelis Boyd signed the interiors of Duddell’s, a concept-restaurant founded in Hong Kong in 2013. The space was conceived as a cultural and social destination for people with an appreciation for the arts, providing an inspiring backdrop in which to meet, eat, drink and socialise. Duddell’s London is located within the historic Grade II-listed St Thomas Church, one of the finest examples of Queen Anne architecture in the city. Michaelis Boyd has overseen the restoration of the building to create an authentic Cantonese restaurant.

Img.1 Michaelis Boyd, Duddell’s London, 2017
Img.2 Michaelis Boyd, Duddell’s London, 2017
Img.3 Michaelis Boyd, Duddell’s London, 2017
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Michaelis Boyd, Duddell’s London, sketch
Michaelis Boyd, Duddell’s London, basement floor plan
Michaelis Boyd, Duddell’s London, ground floor plan
Michaelis Boyd, Duddell’s London, mezzanine floor plan

The restaurant is set on two floors. The ground floor design is focused towards the original dark timber church altar, while the mezzanine level allows views through a clear glass balustrade across the vast eight-metre high space and open kitchen. The interior was inspired by the traditional 1960’s Hong Kong tea restaurant, making use of colour and pattern to create a retro space with a contemporary twist.

When designing the space, we wanted to celebrate the building’s rich history and highlight the difference between old and new. We maximised the natural light that comes into the building to accentuate key heritage features and now the former church has a new lease of life.

A monolithic structure, clad in green tiles provides the centrepiece of the restaurant and spans the ground floor. This central island acts as the open dim sum kitchen and cocktail bar. The island is free-standing, with a work top made of pink terrazzo with white chips providing a subtle contrast to the green tiling. The bar has decorative brass shelving for glasses and bottles and core illumination is provided by light fittings made from perforated overlapping satin brass sheets.

See also: Kimpton de Witt Hotel in Amsterdam
Michaelis Boyd, Duddell’s London, exterior, 2017
  • Duddell’s London
  • restaurant
  • Michaelis Boyd
  • Southwark, London
  • 2017
  • basement 198 sqm, ground 202 sqm, mezzanine 97 sqm
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