1. CHANNEL AN ART NOUVEAU AESTHETIC WITH MOSAIC TILES
We worked with a Spanish quarrier to create the custom-made marble mosaics. They’re two types of marble; the cream is a Crema Marfil, and the dark one is an Emperador. Buenos Aires is defined by its Art Nouveau architecture. Mosaics are a large part of that style.
2. WARM A ROOM WITH MIRRORED PANELLING
To create the mirrored panel, we worked with the original mouldings to inset an antique mirror into the rectangular shapes. The mirrors are symmetrical on both sides of the room, so you get an ‘infinity reflection’ effect when you look down to see the mirror on the other wall.
3. TURN DECANTERS INTO AN UNCONVENTIONAL LIGHT FITTING
The decanter lights were bespoke-made for the restaurant, but we used off-the-shelf decanters that you can probably find online for an affordable price. The building is over 300 years old, so we wanted to reintroduce chandeliers into the space. However, we wanted to take the original shape and do something different.
4. CURATE A FLUID GALLERY WALL
The staircase leads to our underground bar. It is more industrial and is inspired by Buenos Aires in the 1980s. The images are inspired by fly posters from this era. They replace signage and signify that there is something different downstairs without being too obvious. These posters are dynamic and ever-changing, but we keep an archive of old displays in the bar. They have a handmade feel – so the closest thing to them would be finding vintage photographs or magazines.
5. MAKE A STATEMENT WITH LATIN-INSPIRED FABRICS
We used several Latin-inspired fabrics across the furniture – including on our Aztec patterned chairs. Sucre is not a themed restaurant, but we wanted to pay homage to the history of the brand, and we decided to go bolder in the main dining room. The Aztec chairs were made for us, so they’re not available to buy. However, this was a Covid project, so things that would have come from other countries did come from the UK, including the Latin American-style textiles. So, you can buy similar fabric and upholster your furniture to recreate this look.