Despite the relentless gentrification that’s sweeping through East London, there remains an underlying frisson of possibilities that, from the perspective of urban renewal and design, is rather thrilling.
Especially when the mixed bag of run-down period architecture, narrow streets, residential and commercial spaces throws out something so pleasingly clean-lined as Acqua7.
Styled as a concept bar, retail space, diner and a vaguely defined ‘integrated creative platform’, the new space – designed by Italian architecture outfit Arkyna Design, and owner and Dalston native, Cyrus Cookson – makes the most of a narrow space. White dominates the colour palette in the walls and beamed ceiling whilst the brown stained floors, Irish oak counter and potted greens provide a gentle visual counterpoint.
The menu is mod-European, which translates to coffee poured from Moka pots, cantaloupe and rosewater smoothies, avocado and bacon toast, salads, and charcuterie all chased down by cocktails. While waiting for orders to arrive, whet the appetite with a trawl through the retail nooks in the wall stocked with wines and coffee beans.
ADDRESS
7 Balls Pond Road
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the British capital this week
-
Doshi Retreat at the Vitra Campus is both a ‘first’ and a ‘last’ for the great Balkrishna DoshiDoshi Retreat opens at the Vitra campus, honouring the Indian modernist’s enduring legacy and joining the Swiss design company’s existing, fascinating collection of pavilions, displays and gardens
-
Issey Miyake’s shape-shifting A/W 2025 collection transforms the paper bag into something you can wear‘Can anything be considered a garment, as long as it’s on the body?’ says creative director Satoshi Kondo of the art-infused collection, which sees the everyday reimagined
-
London’s smash burger obsession goes haute with Supernova MayfairNew York designer Sarita Posada taps into 1970s nostalgia and cinematic restraint for the group’s third outpost in the British capital
-
Peek inside Uchronia’s celadon green suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde ParkThe Paris-based studio teamed up with Pantone to transform a suite at the storied hotel into an aquatic dreamscape. Here’s how to check in
-
The Chancery Rosewood: A new chapter for London’s modernist iconAfter years behind closed doors, London’s most anticipated hotel opening finally arrives, proving that some things are worth waiting for
-
The Hart Marylebone marks the next chapter in London’s design-led pubsThe trio behind The Pelican and The Hero turn to Marylebone, fusing Victoriana, intimacy and culinary honesty in their most ambitious project yet
-
This 100-year-old private members’ club in London feels young at heartThe Sloane Club unveils a stylish new rebrand and redesign courtesy of Russell Sage Studio
-
The ancient and the erotic inspire Sessions Art Club’s Frieze London 2025 pop-up‘I think food should hum beneath the skin, like a good painting,’ founder Jonny Gent tells Wallpaper* on the opening of his temporary restaurant-cum-art-installation
-
Somerset restaurant Osip sets the table for a different kind of art showChef Merlin Labron-Johnson’s Michelin-starred restaurant hosts an artist-in-residence exhibition exploring form, materiality and the poetics of place
-
Community and culture coincide at Mount Street Neighbourhood Arts FestivalWith this year’s theme focused on art and books, expect to see various literary moments around the Mayfair address
