Bringing a new twist to traditional Indian dining at Gunpowder
- Project name
- Gunpowder
- Project sector
- Hospitality
- Completion date
- 01/08/18
- Client
- Block1: Design
- Ranges
- Arcadian, Terrazzo, Program
Gunpowder, located on Tower Bridge, is a modern diner specialising in traditional Indian food with a twist. The two-floor space serves the finest Indian cuisine upstairs, whilst the downstairs area of the restaurant is an informal bakery offering Indian pastries and beverages.
The contemporary restaurant was designed by Block 1: Design who worked with Solus to create a standout design throughout the two-storey restaurant. These include a custom arrangement from the Program range in the bathrooms, as well as featuring floor tiles from the Terrazzo range in the centre of the bakery.
In the dining area, walls were brought to life with long and thin 65x200mm gloss tiles from the rustically textured Arcadian range. The designers also used concrete effect floor tiles from the Foundry range throughout the space, completing the eclectic design with bespoke, water-jet cut zig-zag tiles in the booths.
Justin Melican, Director at Block 1: Design, commented: “We wanted to create a space that reflected the traditional raw materials and colour palettes of India. Our brief was to create two spaces, one being an informal bakery offering Indian pastries and coffee, and the second was to be the main dining area, which would continue to the upstairs mezzanine.
“Having a two-floor space that is a bakery by day and transitions to a restaurant in the evening, it was important that each area reflected its own identity, but still felt like one cohesive space.
“We achieved this aesthetic through a creative selection of materials, colour and texture. By utilising not only polished terrazzo floors from the Terrazzo range, but also raw blackened steel, concrete and bespoke custom designed tiles, we were able to implement a design that is a contemporary interpretation of India that reflects the warmth of traditional design without recreating it.
“Working with Solus allowed us to push our design concepts further and bring the whole project to life, we wanted to create an aesthetic that would be timeless but still traditional and this is exactly what we have embodied with the tiles chosen. We very much look forward to working with the team again on future designs.”
