All aboard floating restaurant The Cheese Barge in London
Floating restaurant The Cheese Barge in London's Paddington champions Mathew Carver's cheese experimentations in a nautical design by Adam Richards Architects

Brotherton Lock - Photography
A floating restaurant has moored up in a London canal, just in time for the restrictions lift on indoor dining. The Cheese Barge is a brand new hospitality offering in a custom, nautical design on a barge by Wallpaper* award-winning architecture studio Adam Richards Architects. Situated in a Paddington canal just south of Little Venice, this floating restaurant, was commissioned by British Land and occupied by World Cheese Awards judge Mathew Carver as a venue to champion cheese in all its forms.
The design draws on the area's shapes and heritage, wrapping the roof structure in verdigris-coloured patinated metal, gently announcing its arrival to the neighbourhood. A large, light-filled dining area is placed under the curved, sloping roof, looking out towards the canal through wrap-around glazing. A natural material palette of oak and recycled elements compose the interiors, which were created by Raven Collective. Reclaimed ship passageway wall lights, boat cleats and buoy-like table lamps offer light nautical references throughout. Meanwhile, the ship's main body was made by specialist marine fabricator in Somerset.
The design also references James Stirling’s Electa bookshop pavilion in the biennale gardens in Venice – a structure with similar nautical nods. Overall, it was a fun and exciting process for the architecture studio.
‘It is wonderful to be asked to design a space for the pleasurable activity of eating and drinking on the canal,' says architect and studio founder Adam Richards. ‘The barge creates a festive and sophisticated environment, whilst drawing on the heritage of narrow-boat design and local social history. It has also been an opportunity to pay homage to James Stirling’s Electa bookshop in Venice: one of my favourite buildings. That building was inspired by the designs of boats — so it was fun to design a boat based on a building based on a boat!'
The open plan interior across two levels was designed for maximum flexibility, while the kitchen area is located on a separate but connected, smaller boat. Naturally, the kitchen and restaurant are connected via a bridge, adding drama to the arrival of the food.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 shows
The Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to know
Designing the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spot
Heritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
A new London house delights in robust brutalist detailing and diffused light
London's House in a Walled Garden by Henley Halebrown was designed to dovetail in its historic context
-
A Sussex beach house boldly reimagines its seaside typology
A bold and uncompromising Sussex beach house reconfigures the vernacular to maximise coastal views but maintain privacy
-
This 19th-century Hampstead house has a raw concrete staircase at its heart
This Hampstead house, designed by Pinzauer and titled Maresfield Gardens, is a London home blending new design and traditional details
-
An octogenarian’s north London home is bold with utilitarian authenticity
Woodbury residence is a north London home by Of Architecture, inspired by 20th-century design and rooted in functionality
-
What is DeafSpace and how can it enhance architecture for everyone?
DeafSpace learnings can help create profoundly sense-centric architecture; why shouldn't groundbreaking designs also be inclusive?
-
The dream of the flat-pack home continues with this elegant modular cabin design from Koto
The Niwa modular cabin series by UK-based Koto architects offers a range of elegant retreats, designed for easy installation and a variety of uses
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?
Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in Oxford
The Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture