Long a beacon for the sketchier end of London’s Oxford Street, Centre Point has undergone a transformation in recent years. From brutalist 1960s office tower to a luxury complex with apartments, restaurants and retail units, the structure’s reincarnation is now complete with the opening of VIVI, a flagship restaurant led by hospitality group Rhubarb.
A combination of four slick spaces – VIVI Bar, VIVI Dining, VIVI Gallery and VIVI Liquid Lounge – VIVI manages to be both a pit stop and late night hangout, offering everything from classic cocktails in an homage to old school bartending, to a nostalgic all-day menu of British dishes, updated for a crowd who perhaps wouldn’t remember them from the first time around.
The space bears all the hallmarks of a Rhubarb project. Dramatic jewel-toned velvets and marble surfaces mingle in the four distinct areas, each flooded with natural light via floor-to-ceiling windows, which also offer unrivalled views of the Oxford Street buzz below, albeit from a peaceful distance.
The crowning glory is the bespoke plexiglass and brass chandelier, which hangs over the curvilinear bar that is clad with the plated bronze metallic Harper tile by Giles Miller Studio. Inspired by 1960s Italian design, French art nouveau and Bauhaus modernism, the chandelier is designer Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt’s first public commission in the capital – a fitting debut in this revival of a London icon.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Centre Point
11 St Giles Square
-
Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf unveil Calder Gardens in PhiladelphiaThe new cultural landmark presents Alexander Calder’s work in dialogue with nature and architecture, alongside the release of Jacques Herzog’s 'Sketches & Notes'. Ellie Stathaki interviews Herzog about the project.
-
Beloved British screenwriter Dennis Potter inspires an exhibition with a difference at Studio VoltaireHilary Lloyd's multi-faceted exhibition at Studio Voltaire considers Dennis Potter's life and work, from much-loved TV classics to power inequalities
-
Insert here: London Design Festival gets intimate with insertable designAt London Design Festival, Heirloom Studio showcases 36 objects – some life-saving, some pleasure-giving, all made to go inside the body
-
Carmela’s joins London’s pizza renaissanceA Little Italy-inspired pizzeria lands in Islington with 13-inch pies, pepperoni heat and big flavour energy
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
Legado brings a bold Spanish legacy to ShoreditchMichelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s second venture marries design-led interiors with regional Spanish flavours rarely found in London
-
The Macbeth, an icon of indie sleaze, goes from grotty to gastroAn East End legend meets Portuguese small plates in Jamie Allan’s ambitious revival of a beloved Hackney watering hole
-
A complete collection of Phaidon’s ‘Contemporary Artists Series’ is on display in LondonA 30-year project reaching 100 volumes is being celebrated with an exhibition at the 45 Park Lane hotel, including limited-edition works by Kaws and Dana Schutz
-
London’s best pizza restaurant gets a new home in MayfairSecure a slice of New York-style pizza in central London as Crisp Pizza teams up with the Devonshire pub to set up shop in the relaunched The Marlborough
-
At this east London listening bar, mezcal-fuelled cocktails hit as hard as the basslinesIn Bethnal Green, Little Fires pairs vinyl grooves with mezcal margaritas and Oaxacan sharing plates
-
Harry Nuriev’s Noisy Oyster London bistro isn’t quite finished – and that’s the pointA futuristic, work-in-progress aesthetic forms a striking backdrop for a new, sustainably focused seafood bistro in Shoreditch
