This London art installation doubles up as a sleek private dining room

Installed inside The Lavery, ‘Dining Arrangements’ by Rooms Studio considers dining as a practice shaped by furniture

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the lavery london
(Image credit: Photography by Michael Brunt)

The Lavery, a neighbourhood restaurant housed within a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in London’s South Kensington, the former home and studio of Irish painter Sir John Lavery, reintroduces its private dining room as a space for artistic takeovers.

‘Dining Arrangements’ curated by Rooms Studio

the lavery london

(Image credit: Photography by Genevieve Lutkin)

The first commission, led by Tbilisi-based Rooms Studio, presents a fully articulated dining environment as a study on art, design and function: ‘an exhibition by day and a private dining room by night’. The arrangement is expected to shift over time inadvertently, with pieces added and repositioned by diners and service as the room is used, allowing the exhibition to become more lived-in across its duration.

the lavery london

(Image credit: Photography by Genevieve Lutkin)

the lavery london

(Image credit: Photography by Genevieve Lutkin)

‘Dining Arrangements’ brings together furniture by Rooms Studio with a small group of objects and artworks drawn from neighbouring design and art practices. Alongside Rooms Studio’s own furniture, developed through its interior-led approach to form and placement, the installation includes selected pieces sourced by Monument London, an east London gallery known for introducing furniture and objects through carefully staged spatial contexts.

Individual works include a ceramic work by Bitossi Ceramiche, a ceiling lamp by Minjae Kim, and a tapestry by Mariana Chkhonia. Two artworks by Tolia Astakhishvili are shown courtesy of the artist, Emalin Gallery and LC Queisser.

the lavery london

(Image credit: Photography by Michael Brunt)

the lavery london

(Image credit: Photography by Michael Brunt)

As attention grows around sensory-first design in architecture and interiors, this installation positions the dining room as a site where bodily regulation is unavoidable. Furniture here has its own character and presence, guiding movement and decisions, proposing togetherness without hierarchy.

The takeover invites observation from diners. During meals, the furniture is perceived based on coordination and task, while at quieter moments, the room becomes more open for exploration, allowing artworks and objects to stand out more clearly in our visual field. This change in how we perceive the space occurs without any physical reorganisation. It’s the same room and arrangement, but the conceptual understanding shifts over time.

the lavery london

(Image credit: Courtesy of The Lavery)

the lavery london

(Image credit: Photography by Genevieve Lutkin)

‘Dining Arrangements’ sits within Rooms Studio’s wider study of interiors sustained by behaviour over time. Dining rooms hold bodies in relation for extended periods, placing furniture under continuous pressure to manage proximity.

‘Dining Arrangements’ runs from 29 January to 12 April 2026. The Lavery is located at 4 Cromwell Pl, South Kensington, London SW7 2JE, UK

Reeme Idris

Reeme Idris is an Irish-Sudanese writer based in London. Her work examines how art, design, and travel intersect, often offering nuanced reflections on the role creativity and material culture play in shaping lived experience.