Innovative Mediterranean Eatery Debuts in London's Notting Hill Waterside, Embracing 2025's Hottest Architectural Aesthetics with a Crafty Flair
London's culinary scene is not just about the food; it's also about the experience, and that includes the ambiance and design of the restaurants. One such example is the modern Mediterranean restaurant, Canal, recently inaugurated inside Mason & Fifth's Westbourne Park hotel complex.
Canal is a 280-square-meter eatery that pays homage to its industrial past while keeping people at its heart. The restaurant was dreamed up by the team behind hip London hotspots Crispin and Bistro Freddie in collaboration with interior and furniture design duo A-nrd.
The interior of Canal has been carefully curated to facilitate sociability, comfort, and fun. The dining room features sturdy, essential FRAMA chairs, while the bar area boasts zinc-clad, chrome elements, including the island bar, wine shelving, tables, and banquettes. These zinc-clad and chrome elements, strategically placed, reference and amplify the movement and variations of water and light.
The doughnut-shaped sconces in Canal are designed by A-nrd and are available for sale from Foscarini. The lighting fixtures, including the pendant lights and doughnut sconces, are folklore-inspired creations by local studio Findere. Honeycomb-hued, organic woods and fuzzy fabrics have been implemented throughout the restaurant to counter the rough cement walls' harshness.
Brutalist interiors like Canal's might initially appear impersonal, but tactile, human details, such as the crisp pendant lights, textured glass frieze, and plump doughnut sconces, add warmth and appeal. The metallic finish is a trendy and influential surface of the year, appearing in various forms within the interior design space.
To bring home the Brutalist-cool energy of Canal, consider purchasing Natalia Criado's silverware homeware. Another place to check is Cicchetti Piccadilly, with an interior by design studio Fettle. It combines brutalist features like exposed cement walls and silver ventilation pipes with warm wood and metallic gold details, creating an industrial yet vibrant atmosphere.
For more inspiring examples of Brutalist interiors with metallic elements in London restaurants, follow design studios involved in London’s brutalist restaurant interiors, such as A-nrd (designers of Canal and others), and Fettle, who blend raw concrete with metal accents. Search design-focused publications and platforms like Livingetc and Dezeen, which often profile new London restaurants with bold brutalist and industrial designs including metallic components.
Look for venues in areas with Brutalist architectural heritage like Westbourne Park or postindustrial zones, where designers favor exposing structural materials, ductwork, and metal fittings to maintain an authentic brutalist vibe. Utilize online interior design databases and social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok) using keywords like “London brutalist restaurant,” “metallic brutalism interiors,” or tagged posts from architectural design studios.
Brutalist interiors typically emphasize raw concrete, strong geometric forms, and industrial materials like steel and zinc, often with minimalist color palettes ranging from gray to black and metallic tones. The metallic elements bring contrast and texture, balancing the coldness of concrete with reflections and warmth through metals like chrome and zinc.
Adrian Hernandez Farina is the head chef of Canal, offering a menu that features current highlights such as a Brown Butter Old Fashioned, Manhattan Oil Negroni, crab doughnuts, crisp-topped beef tartare, and Italian-inspired pasta dishes. So, if you're looking for a unique dining experience in a stylish, Brutalist setting, Canal at Westbourne Park is definitely worth a visit.
- The interior design of Canal, a modern Mediterranean restaurant inside Mason & Fifth's Westbourne Park hotel complex, has been curated with sociability, comfort, and fun in mind.
- The interior design duo A-nrd collaborated with the team behind hip London hotspots Crispin and Bistro Freddie to design Canal.
- The dining room of Canal features sturdy FRAMA chairs, while the bar area showcases zinc-clad and chrome elements from A-nrd's doughnut-shaped sconces to the island bar, wine shelving, tables, and banquettes.
- The organic woods and fuzzy fabrics used throughout Canal counter the harshness of the cement walls, while tactile, human details like the pendant lights and textured glass frieze add warmth and appeal.
- To emulate the Brutalist-cool energy of Canal in one's home, consider purchasing Natalia Criado's silverware homeware or visiting Cicchetti Piccadilly, an industrial yet vibrant restaurant with brutalist features and metallic elements.
- Design studios like A-nrd, who designed Canal, and Fettle, known for blending raw concrete with metal accents, are creating inspiring Brutalist interiors with metallic elements in London restaurants.
