Press Release
Maison Francois Restaurant by John Whelan - GSL Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
John Whelan - GSL recognized for hospitality, recreation, travel and tourism design by the international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Maison Francois Restaurant by John Whelan - GSL, designed for The Guild of Saint Luke, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design category. The award was conferred within the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Maison Francois Restaurant
Maison Francois is a restaurant of 500 square metres, created inside a bare concrete shell. The coffered ceiling is made of phonic material painted in faux cement to match the polished concrete floor. Curved walnut banquettes with privacy glass uppers are upholstered in cream linen, and floor-to-ceiling cream linen curtains offset the terracotta stucco and mirror arches. Joinery is in walnut and mahogany, with patinated brass and nickel metalwork. The central island pass forms the focal point of the room and links the kitchen to the dining space.
About John Whelan - GSL
REMASTERING THE PAST™ THE GUILD OF SAINT LUKE IS AN AFFILIATION OF ARCHITECTS, ARTISANS AND ARTISTS, UNITED BY FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, JOHN WHELAN. WORKING BETWEEN LONDON AND PARIS, THE GROUP SAMPLES PAST GLORIES IN THE DECORATIVE ARTS AS MIGHT A MUSIC PRODUCER. BY REMASTERING THESE STYLES, GSL PRODUCE ORIGINAL WORKS THAT RHYME WITH THE PAST AND CHIME WITH THE PRESENT.
Award Record
This recognition makes John Whelan - GSL a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design Award
The A' Hospitality Design Award is an international hospitality design competition recognizing good hospitality designs by best hospitality designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to hospitality designers, architects, hospitality brands and hotel chains from all countries. Entries typically include hotels, restaurants, resorts, cafes, bars and cruise ships. Awarded hospitality designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/hospitality
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/123843
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/123843
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!123843
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/305103
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.gsl.works
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Maison Francois Restaurant
- Function
- Restaurant
- Category
- Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Food & Hospitality and Sports
- Colors
- Saddle Brown, Dark Slate Gray, Sienna, Black and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- The Guild of Saint Luke
The Recognition
- Laureate
- John Whelan - GSL
- Country
- Great Britain
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2020 - 2021
- Design ID
- #123843
Credits
- Team
- John Whelan for The Guild of Saint Luke
- Image Credits
- Photography by Oskar Proctor
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Initially, the concrete shell was taken as the starting point, creating a Brutalist ceiling coffering and laying down a polished concrete floor. Once the framework was established, ensuing elements were designed to create that elusive warmth and intimacy. Curved walnut banquettes with privacy glass uppers are upholstered in a resistant cream linen that are tactile and inviting. They correspond with floor-to-ceiling cream linen curtains that offset the grandeur of the imposing terracotta stucco and mirror arches.
- Inspiration
- Rather than taking the more tried and tested route of looking to the Art Deco period for inspiration, the design looked at successful residential conversions of Brutalist spaces, such as Ricardo Bofill’s, La Fabrica. What interested the team was how the designers managed to create a sense of intimacy and warmth despite their imposing concrete surrounds. The solution was to find the right dosage of these ideas, within a more traditional brasserie framework.
- Research
- Much of the research that went into this project had been conducted over several years, working on restoring and re-designing historic brasseries in France. Everything that was learned by the studio during this period was applied to the project, but this knowledge was infused with more contemporary reference points such as Postmodernism and Brutalism in order to evolve the genre.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was the space that was inherited from the landlord. A far cry from the warm and welcoming environment desired by the client, it was a cavernous concrete shell with no discernible features of interest. The façade offered little more by way of inspiration, being part of a somewhat generic new build. It was therefore necessary to think carefully about how the large volume could be animated, and how to create visibility from the street.
- Realization and Technology
- The coffered ceiling was realised in phonic material and painted in faux-cement to match the polished concrete floor. Joinery is in walnut and mahogany, with patinated brass and nickel metalwork. Upholstery and drapery is in cream linen.
- Operation and Interaction
- Bringing the kitchen into direct conversation with the room was key to creating a vibrant atmosphere, and so the central island pass became the focal point of the room. It sits underneath a monumental Rado inspired clock flanked by a lambs-tongue mahogany and bevelled mirror canopy that recalls the windows of the Ismaili Centre. Metals range from patinated nickel to burnished brass, all heavy on texture and designed to warm up the space.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in September 2019 and opened in September 2020
- Specifications
- 500 square metres floor space
- Keywords
- Restaurant, Brasserie, London
