Welcome to the Creative Roundup, our monthly digest of cool things from the world of interior design and hospitality...
Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross
These Victorian-era railway marshalling yards have had a variety of uses over the years and were even a venue for raves in the 90s. Now they’ve been reimagined as a hub for independent retail brands and eateries. Launched with the aim of “challenging the trend of faceless, endless, mass supply,” each operator within Coal Drops Yard has been selected for its ability to offer “an experience that’s out of the ordinary.” Our favourite is Coal Office, a contemporary Middle Eastern-style restaurant by Chef Assaf Granit and designer Tom Dixon, serving delicious family-style sharing plates and amazing Israeli-inspired cuisine.
Zip, by Premier Inn
Teeny, tiny hotel rooms are growing - in popularity that is. So much so, Whitbread, owners of Premier Inn, are launching another capsule hotel chain. After the success of Hub, its slightly more upmarket compact hotel brand, the group has now announced plans for Zip, accommodation for the “ultra-price-sensitive customer looking to zip in and out” of town. With rooms measuring at 8.5sqm (half the size of a standard Premier Inn room) the concept sits somewhere between Hub and the pod-style accommodation popular in Japan.
Chip[s] Board
The sustainability/eco-friendly trend shows no sign of abating and it’s seen some exciting new products make their way onto the interiors market. Chip[s] Board is a sustainable wood substitute made from waste potato peelings created by industrial food production. The heat-pressed board can be used for a variety of purposes, but without the environmental impact of similar materials such as MDF, which is not recyclable. The designers of the product, London-based Rowan Minkley and Robert Nicoll, are also working on a range of Chip[s] Board furniture and accessories, so watch this space…
Chef Works
Designing a restaurant is about more than choosing furniture, flooring and lighting; it’s also about the less obvious details like staff uniform design, which often get left to the last minute. In our search for a uniform supplier with a difference, we came across Chef Works. Its selection of workwear ranges from standard, functional-but-smart pieces, to the industrial-inspired rustic denim of the ‘Galveston’ and ‘Urban’ collections. It also provides a variety of fit options, avoiding the sloppy, one-size-fits-all look, making it feel closer to a fashion brand than a uniform supplier.
Hayche furniture
If the phrase ‘contract furniture’ makes you think of hideous, institutional, canteen-style tables and chairs, Hayche couldn’t be further from that aesthetic. Launched in 2014, its products are mostly made to order, carefully selecting materials for their “beauty, purity, honesty and sustainability.” We love the fun, colourful WW Counter Stool series which was created in collaboration with Brighton-based branding agency, Studio Makgill, and features a pleasing juxtaposition of metal and solid oak, available in a combination of cheerful colourways.
