Blue Nile

We led the extensive refurbishment to an independent local coffee shop in Greenwich, London – an area where large-scale plans for regeneration are underway. The brief for the project included the change of use, delivery and overall refurbishment of this former 1920’s butcher as a new cafe and 40 cover restaurant at the heart of a changing neighbourhood.

The design brief was developed alongside the client with the aspiration to reconnect the new restaurant with the local community and raise the presence of this independent establishment on the high street.

The overall branding and identity for the restaurant were developed in tandem with the design to reference the historical context of the cuisine and develop a holistic response. As such the restaurant evokes the old colonial cafés of the Art Deco city Asmara, Eritrea. Drawing upon the heritage and tradition of these lost cafés, the menu and decor pay homage to the food of Asmara.

Alongside a group of local volunteers and design students, local unemployed tradespersons were tasked with construction to help build all of the reclaimed furniture and to implement the new graphic identity.

Further to this project, the local authority has approached us with a view to expand the potential of the project across the remaining independent businesses on the high street where vacancy rates are high and shop fronts and signage are in a poor state and in need of repair.