Flash at the RA

A temporary restaurant at the Royal Academy of Arts inspired by Pompeiian interiors.

David Kohn Architects collaborated with restaurateurs Pablo Flack and David Waddington, illustrator Rory Crichton and fashion designer Giles Deacon on the design which was conceived as a home-from-home for the East End eaterie, Bistrotheque.

Situated in the West Room of the nineteenth century palazzo, 6 Burlington Gardens, the design looked to make the most of the existing architecture, co-opting its classical grandeur, whilst achieving a light, playful atmosphere. A new timber-lined dining room was created using stacked art crates placed between the room’s cast iron columns. The crates were decorated with fantastical garden scenes of writhing plants, mythical creatures and exotic birds that recalled the history of the site, being once the gardens to Burlington House.

In its details, the project sought to create as comfortable a dining experience as possible. A bespoke carpet and felt wall decorations ensured excellent acoustic properties whilst carefully placed mirrors allowed diners to momentarily look past each others’ shoulders to survey the company.

The project was awarded a D&AD Yellow Pencil in 2009 and shortlisted for a 2011 Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.