Growing restaurant brand teams up with local design studio for Covent Garden site

A 19th-century grain store on the cobbled lanes of Covent Garden has been converted into Caravan’s largest site to date. Caravan Co-Founder (and Chief Executive Officer), Laura Harper-Hinton teamed up with interior design studio Other Side to create the concept and design.

Caravan and Other Side set out to form a “strong connection to the rugged outdoor landscape” of the Pacific coastline, honing back to Caravan’s New Zealand roots. Sandy, weathered finishes that are commonplace in New Zealand are layered with greenery and organic materials such as hemp and stone, which unite the outside with the inside.

The design also drew inspiration from the abundance of natural light flooding in through the glazed panoramic shopfront.

Gavin Mayaveram, founder of Other Side, said: “Caravan’s roots are firmly centred in the discovery of travel along the Pacific coast and beyond. We wanted to create a calming space that connected the restaurant to the outside world, bringing the sunshine, earthy tones and natural materials that we associate with the Pacific to Covent Garden’s theatre district.”

The building’s rich industrial heritage and former use as a grain store and metal foundry was also a source of inspiration. Built as a seed merchant and foundry showroom, its original brick, render, steelwork and metal frames have been purposefully left exposed, revealing its “natural character and charm”.

Echoes of the building’s past as an original grain house are also found in a palette of yellow, mustard and earthy, paired back colours, which connects to the Pacific landscape.

The ground floor restaurant is filled with grassy, coastal planting that softens the interior and provides a textured, organic feel. A feature planter wall divides the space and a mix of reclaimed terracotta and concrete potted plants adds height and layering.

A new glazed entrance lobby made with a blackened mild steel frame was chosen to honour the building’s heritage and allows views through to the feature staircase leading to the basement floor.

Laura Harper Hinton, Caravan Co-Founder and CEO, commented: “With each new project, we create a bespoke design narrative that showcases the heritage and character of the building itself and our unique and fresh design approach for each restaurant.

“We always focus on using repurposed, reclaimed and natural sustainable materials and drawing inspiration from the Pacific Coastline enabled us to play with a rich array of materials, fittings and colour schemes.

“We have carefully zoned the two floors to allow customers to enjoy our well-travelled menus and craft coffee all ways, at any time of day as with our other restaurants.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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