Full circle: Nex Architecture and Cadogan plan a new King’s Road cafe
![Kings Road cafe](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9vnfdmrzCerGWtquTV8GWE-415-80.jpeg)
A popular destination for shopping and leisurely strolls, the King's Road in Chelsea might be soon getting a brand new attraction; the Duke of York Square scheme's developers, Cadogan, have teamed up with Nex Architecture to propose a contemporary cafe pavilion for the London plaza.
Building on the area's redevelopment – originally completed in 2004 – should it come to existence, the new cafe will be joining the area's bustling street life, which includes public areas, shops and restaurants, as well as one of the neighborhood's key cultural attractions, the Saatchi Gallery.
The architects were chosen via an international competition held back in 2012. Nex Architecture scooped first place out of a total of some 150 entries. The independently run cafe will feature a soft and welcoming, curvaceous design as well as an 'innovative glass façade, which will lower into a single storey basement during fine weather, the first of its kind in the UK', explains the developer.
The pavilion will also include a circular roof terrace open to the public, offering even more green space for visitors to relax and take in the area's views from above.
'Our approach ensures that the new cafe resonates with the architectural heritage of the site, while providing a contemporary space that has flexibility for year round use,' explains Nex Architecture's Alan Dempsey. 'It provides a new perspective on the Square, for watching the world go by, while at the same time providing shelter. When the glass façade is lowered during warm weather, it will feel as one with the surrounding area, merging holistically with the existing space to create a large al fresco seating area.'
A two-day public exhibition in Duke of York Square will display the proposal for the new cafe on the 4 and 6 February, offering the public an opportunity to review and give feedback on the design, which is scheduled to be submitted for planning later in the year.
The project features a UK first – an ’innovative glass façade, which will lower into a single storey basement during fine weather’, explain the architects
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Cadogan Cafe’s website
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
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).
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
An Uxbridge annexe by Bureau de Change is a design for effortless intergenerational living
Uxbridge Bower, a residential annexe in west London, is a contemporary addition offering both privacy and connection for the needs of a family
By Tianna Williams Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published