special report: hotels, bars & restaurant
very much belongs to its western location, there- fore meeting the international aspirations of its young clientèle. Greenleaf also offers a modern, fresh take on Chinese cuisine for the local resi- dential and working population, as well as a new destination for young professionals in London always on the lookout for a different experience.” The innovatively designed 30-seat restaurant is
on the ground floor. With a subtle nod to ‘yang’ energies traditionally represented by the colour white, its cool palette allows the flavourful ingre- dients of the Asian cuisine to appear even more vibrant. Smokey grey ‘Ghost’ chairs from Philippe Starck, deep-buttoned fawn leather banquettes, Carrera marble tables, limestone floors and glossy white wall glazing – some of which doubles as operable cabinetry – are used along- side bespoke décor crafted by the design team. A clever wall covering system of circles cut
from taupe toned felt provides a stylishly retro vibe as well as sound absorption. The interior design company also created bespoke pendant lights for the restaurant. Made from loops of white webbing, the fixtures above the dining tables are stationary, whereas those in the front window are fashioned from motorised, laser-cut loops of PVC, which open and close like ‘blossom- ing’ lotus flowers. The entrance to the toilets makes imaginative
7Gods unfurls Greenleaf
Creative agency 7Gods, founded by Ronald Gomes, has just brought a new concept in Chinese dining and entertainment to London.
based in Bloomsbury. The agency worked with the young entrepreneurial owners from the very early days, creating the name and developing the brand- ing, handling the interior design, custom-designing and making a number of the components, and even project managing the fit-out on-site. Ronald Gomes, the founder of 7Gods, talks
G
about the design at Greenleaf; “The beginning of the project coincided with the Tate Modern instal- lation by Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist and activist who is passionate about bringing political trans- parency and the free exchange of ideas to his country. We found his exhibition extremely inspir- ing and it took our concept in the direction of cre- ating a space that would reflect the spirit of a worldly, contemporary Chinese culture, rather than perpetuating the clichéd pastiche that pre- dominates in many areas of London. Nothing in the design of the restaurant is overtly ‘Chinese’, other than the characters in the logo that translate as ‘Greenleaf’. Greenleaf’s primary target market is the afflu-
ent Chinese students who live in the area. Coming from privileged backgrounds, they are accustomed to luxury goods and Western imagery and they don’t want to spend time in a space that stereotypes their culture. While the restaurant and karaoke bar is a familiar enough concept within the Chinese culture, Greenleaf
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reenleaf is the latest gem in the city’s entertainment scene – a contemporary Chinese restaurant with two karaoke bars,
use of spare change with walls clad with 16,000 one pence coins. Possibly an amusing reminder to older British clientèle of the days when one old
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