alexander mulligan brings a piece of jamaica into london restaurant

alexander mulligan brings a piece of jamaica into london restaurant
all images courtesy of alexander mulligan

when asked to design ‘rudie’s’, a jamaican restaurant in london, alexander mulligan decided to create an interior that would complement the food and the country’s culture. the color scheme was established when he decided to pay homage to the warm pastel shades on the faded houses, the man-made signage, the hand painted boats and the colonial past of the island. the three main colors used on the floor, walls and ceilings subtly nod towards the national flag, in a humorous way.

the restaurant has a bar dedicated to rum, holding a wide variety of this jamaican beverage

the bar houses a large collection of jamaican rum and is probably the biggest in london. to emphasize this fact, mulligan designed a shelving system based on the burnt / preharvested sugar cane field, using burnt ash dowel and a delicate lighting set that uplifts the amber bottles. the front of the bar is made of bronze and corrugated steel making an architectural reference to jamaica.

the burnt ash bar shelving is lighted from the bottom, having the last rays of light projected in the ceiling

alongside the wenge and mango wood furniture, two steam-bent light installations were created by the designer who says the motivation was: ‘the feeling of evenings in the west indies, of being outside in the cool nights, amongst nature, eating and drinking, under a tree, and the canopy of a starry sky. but also a street lamp, that urban feeling combined with nature, as many tropical urban areas offer.’

two steam-bent ash tree light installations feel like they’re supporting the ceiling of the bar

a corner is dedicated to reggae, portraying a jamaican landscape, urban and natural

the use of corrugated steel references the architecture of the island with a twist

original dance hall street adverts hang on the walls

both the indoors and outdoors have the tropical feel mixed with the urban one 

little details like a metal plaque with the name of the restaurant on the oven make a difference

rudie’s is located on dalston high street in the heart of west indian culture in london

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom