Dining on Design

2023 - Restaurant & Bar Design Week talk saw Johnny Smith (Founder, Luca) and Elizabeth Woolford (Alexander Waterworth Interiors) explore the connection between the design of the restaurant Luca and the design of its cuisine.

At the recent 2023 Restaurant & Bar Design Week, Artiq CEO and co-founder Patrick McCrae moderated a flavourful discussion between Johnny Smith (Founder, Luca) and Elizabeth "Liz" Woolford (Alexander Waterworth Interiors). Held at the Marazzi Showroom, the conversation explored Luca's culinary and interior designs and how AWI created the perfect pairing for Johnny's palette.?

Luca is the second venture of restauranteur Johnny Smith. As part of the three-part team that founded The Clove Club, Johnny is no stranger to culinary success – the restaurant currently holds two Michelin stars and is No.38 on the 2023 World's 50 Best Restaurants list.?

Since launching in 2016, Luca has made a name for itself in the London scene and maintained its own dedicated fan base. Stylising English produce into Italian cuisine, head chef Robert Chambers has curated a menu that is regional, accessible, and, most importantly, delicious – a special mention must be made for the parmesan fries served to the room after the panel talk.?

Luca's dedication to quality extends into their interiors. Wooden cladding, oak tables, and an open kitchen represent Italian grace and invoke a domestic eating style often associated with Italian cuisine. Designed by Alexander Waterworth Interiors, Luca's finishes look just as good today as when doors opened six years ago. Liz and Johnny understood the theatrical importance of their design. They elevated the dining experience through materiality and recognised that colour, texture, and arrangement are as important to interior design as they are to plating. Both practices are curations of taste and involve a delicate balance of aesthetics and functionality.?

For this reason, Chambers was brought into conversation early in the design process. This helped create a dialogue between plate and place and ensured that Luca's menu worked symbiotically with the interiors in which it is experienced. A seamless, cohesive colour palette runs through food and interiors, and the plating mimics several interior motifs - the curved edges of banquette seating can be seen in a quenelle of the house tiramisu. The pasta chef, who could have easily been hidden in the kitchen, is stationed in the back corner of the restaurant. As they make and shape your meal in front of its guest, the preparation of the food becomes a performance within the space. This harmony between interior, brand, and food is the result of recognising that we eat with our eyes first - and beautiful food deserves a beautiful setting.?

One might expect such success from a studio that has worked with heavy hitters like Soho Farmhouse, Big Mamma Group and The Mandarin Oriental, but according to Liz there is no difference in approach between designing for small Michelin-star restaurants and bigger global clients. AWI approaches each project uniquely and adapts to the needs of both client and space – an approach that came into service when designing for Luca.?

Located in a 19th-century listed building, the layout of the space was repeatedly deemed too great a challenge, and the site had been left vacant for a while. Now, as Johnny describes, there's not a bad seat in the house. Unphased by their challenges, AWI created journeys throughout the buildings' several distinct spaces. Guests can grab a drink at an 'orient express train carriage' or enjoy a convivial meal in the more traditional dining area. There is even a white-cotton-clad conservatory that gives way to a Tuscan-styled terrace. This is perhaps the greatest success of AWI's interior concept - no matter your need, Luca has a space for you.?

Participating in this Panel Talk were Johnny Smith (Founder, The Clove Club & Luca) and? Liz Woolford ( Alexander Waterworth Interiors Ltd ).?

Partners: Marazzi Group , Crosswater London and Abet Laminati , Maria Garcia Cortes , Rosie Taylor , Juan Pillay , Kaye Gibson .

It was chaired by Patrick McCrae , CEO and co-founder Artiq and hosted at The Marazzi Showroom in London.?