The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
The Piccadilly line
The glamour of The Wolseley can now be enjoyed (and shopped) in Oxfordshire
THESE DAYS, a successful restaurant is known almost as much for its style credentials as it is for its food. Since it opened 15 years ago, The Wolseley in London’s Piccadilly has become famous for its breakfasts, but also its interiors. Built in 1921, originally as a car showroom, it was heavily influenced by Eastern design, with much japanning (a European finish that imitates Asian lacquerwork), deepred columns (since painted black) and ornate chinoiserie doors.
Last month, the restaurant opened an outpost at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire
– Café Wolseley, with interiors by design duo Bradywilliams, who were keen to emulate the style of the London restaurant. ‘We were inspired by the original design elements, but wanted to add a fresh perspective, too,’ says Shayne Brady. The deep-red pillars have been reinstated here, chinoiserie-style paintings have been commissioned, and, like the original, it features a striking black-and-white marble floor.
The opening was also an opportunity to branch out into retail – perhaps a response to the inconvenient habit of
the restaurant’s vintage silverware and cruet sets finding their way into customers’ pockets and bags.
‘Over the years, we’ve had many people asking where we source our pieces from, so it made sense to create a collection,’ says Lauren Gurvich-king, head of retail for the restaurants and wife of co-owner Jeremy King. ‘I specialise in sourcing 20th-century glass and vintage silver, so I am always on the lookout for the chic and unusual. When it came to launching this collection, I naturally gravitated towards art-deco pieces, and as a result we have an ever-growing selection of vintage silver and fine-crystal glassware.’
The collection, which also includes food and drink gifts such as truffles, Florentines and jams, is available to buy at Café Wolseley and online. thewolseley.com