The bakery has been organised as a ‘deconstructed shopfront’, based on a scene from Wes Anderson’s ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ which follows the main character Agatha through a process of chocolate-making at Mendl’s Sweet Shop, from gathering ingredients, to decoration through to assembly.
Holloway Li have revealed their design for Tbilisi artisan bakery Entrée’s first London outpost in Notting Hill, a celebratory Georgian ‘supra’, a feast centred around a gathering table, seen through the aesthetic of Wes Anderson’s cinematic style.
Taking cues from the organisation of theatre-space, the area between shopfront and kitchen is structured like the layered space between audience and back-stage. The shopfront window forms the ‘Apron’, the café area becomes the ‘Stage’, and the serving area the ‘Proscenium Arch’. A window behind the serving counter offers a glimpse into the ‘Backstage’ area, where traditional Georgian breads and pastries are baked, conjuring the child-like wonder of peering into a sweet shop.
Photography: Ruth Ward ruthward.com
A distinctive single-point perspective has been used to link the various layers of the ‘set’ like a view through a film camera, giving prominence to the kitchen window, which lies at the infinity point. The arched motif reminiscent of Tbilisi’s decorative carved balconies reinforces distance, and encircles the café area like balconies surrounding a stage.
The foreground café space, the ‘stage’, has been designed around the Georgian culinary tradition of the ‘supra’, a celebratory feast centred around an oversized gathering table. Holloway Li curated a large oval bronze-finish table, continually replenished with an abundance of freshly-baked Georgian and French pastries, giving customers the feeling of joining an ongoing ever-evolving feast. The walls are dressed with antique mirrors and artwork inspired by traditional Georgian calligraphy and patterns, lending a domestic feeling to the space.
“On a research trip to Tbilisi at the start of the project, we were drawn to warmth of Georgian hospitality, a culture which has been materialised as an object in the Supra table. We wanted to make this table the heart of the design, a symbol around which an imagined feast might unfold. We worked closely with branding and design studio Here Design to translate these qualities of Georgian culture into a spatial design.”
Na Li, Director, Holloway Li
The design plays on Entrée’s name, meaning ‘entrance’, the bakery acting as a ‘gateway’ to Tbilisi. Tbilisi’s identity is defined by not only its immediate location on the precipice of Europe and Asia, but a wider global material economy tied to its position on the Silk Road, a liminal location which has allowed it to assimilate a myriad of cultural influences as its own.
Holloway Li’s two-tone colour palette of teal and plum draws on these varied influences to accentuate the arched areas. This is set off against rough pitted plaster and tumbled limestone tiling, in reference to the rendered houses in Tblisi’s old town, home to Entrée’s bakeries.
“We were sparked by how the textures and colours of ‘Old’ Georgia (the domed sulphur baths, the byzantine brickwork, the wooden balconies and Caucasian rugs) sit restlessly next to the grittiness of ‘New’ Georgia (with its repurposed Soviet buildings and monuments). We tried to capture this combination subtly, through the controlled use of texture, textile and ornament.”
Emily Mak, Designer, Holloway Li
ABOUT HOLLOWAY LI
Holloway Li was founded by creative Interior Architect duo Alex Holloway and Na Li. The studio’s built work covers a diverse catalogue covering retail spaces, hospitality, and select private homes.
Recently completed projects include Bermonds Locke, a brand new edition of Edyn’s apartment hotel concept Locke, a rooftop extension for the boutique hotel The Hoxton and a new concept showroom for bathroom brand Coalbrook.
Upcoming projects in 2022 include a 280-room modular apartment hotel in Canary Wharf, an apartment hotel in Munich and a series of private houses.
For more information, visit: hollowayli.com
ABOUT ENTRÉE
Entrée is a family-run Artisan Bakery Chain from Tbilisi, Georgia. Founded in 2008, Entrée has grown into well-established, quality-oriented niche brand operating successfully with 20 stores.
Entrée have an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients, traditional recipes and the craft of their master chefs.
Entrée Notting Hill is the chain’s first foray outside of Tbilisi and Baku, part of an upcoming international push.
For more information, visit: entree.ge/en
