Pergolas are shaded paths and sitting areas. They are also the theme chosen by the Incipio Group for its range of central London restaurants, some of which bear the Pergola brand. The concept was to create a leafy luxurious outdoor feel just off the capital’s busy streets. Incipio turned to Area 51 to create the interior and rooftop exterior décor for four of their top venues. The first was to be a pop-up restaurant on top of the former BBC Television Centre in White City, with its spectacular cityscape views. More were to follow.
THE BUILD:
For the rooftop pop-up restaurant we bathed the entire venue in a feast of al-fresco foliage, incorporating artificial palm leaves to create 500m2 of summery space. For their larger Pergola Paddington Central we undertook most of the venue, set over two beautifully decorated floors. We foliaged the giant exterior wall, made the restaurant’s striking entrance, hand-made the barrels, and created the major signage, including the green leaf-design aluminium sheets, which were printed direct to substrate. Five months later we were asked back to amplify the look with a further 15% of foliage, changing the colour scheme to deep greens and reds. We also worked with them to open a further Pergola floor on the top deck which we also foliaged. At The Prince, where 4 old buildings were converted into restaurants, we again created the Pergola look with foliage, and built a connecting deck to all eating areas. At the fast-food Feast bar and restaurant, again in the White City area, everything was indoors but still with an al-fresco feel to it. The venues have proved a hit and have been attended by some hundreds of thousands of diners in their first years.
