THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SKETCH IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW???

SKETCH

Sketch, the legendary restaurant, art, design, and culture emporium in London is a master at reinvention. It showed off its latest design incarnations at the London Design Festival, with newly designed and decorated spaces, as it hosted us for dinner and a series of special LDF private events.

This beautiful temple to gastronomy and beauty occupies two floors of a converted 18th century site in Conduit Street, Mayfair.

It is a Grade II listed townhouse in Mayfair, designed by Scottish Architect James Wyatt in 1779 as the private residence of James Viner. It has since been home to some fascinating  societies and organizations, including the Suffragette movement. It also once housed the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Atelier of Christian Dior.

Celebrated restaurateur Mourad “Momo” Mazouz and triple Michelin-starred French master chef Pierre Gagnaire founded this extraordinary cultural destination spot in 2002. It was the manifestation of a triple dream of creating a “lieu” or destination place, for food, art and music.

Since then, sketch has been a continuous fountain of creativity and innovation, experimenting with an edgy variety of food, drink, design, and entertainment styles. The exquisite food is executed for Gagnaire by executive chefs Romain Chapel and Herve Deville.

There are 6 different restaurant spaces within sketch which evolve through a long-term programme of artist-conceived interior designs.

THE GALLERY

Turner Prize winning artist Martin Creed began, in 2012, to transform the Gallery restaurant in long-term program of artist-designed restaurants for the venue. The latest is the new transformation of The Gallery.

Designed by India Mahdavi, featuring the works of British artist David Shrigley, it is all pink and poofy, with sumptuous velvet seating that softly envelops you in an avant garde luxe kind of way.

239 new sketches line the restaurant’s walls, forming the largest group of original drawings David Shrigley has ever exhibited. 

Shrigley also designed the whimsical china used to serve your opulent afternoon tea and dinner. We love the trio of salt and pepper shakers displaying the words ‘Dirt’, ‘Dust’ and ‘Nothing’ – the third living up to its title by containing nothing.

Open for afternoon tea and dinner. We had amazing cocktails, called Crumbles, at the copper-clad bar. A tart rhubarb and gin elixir topped with Limoncello foam, sprinkled with fairy dust crumbs -- we are still dreaming about them!

THE LECTURE ROOM & LIBRARY

The Lecture Room & Library is the fine dining room at sketch and it is pure heaven. Its two Michelin stars sparkle brightly, set in interior designer Gahban O’Keeffe’s lush eclectic room. Check out the mind-blowing menu samples here.

THE GLADE

The Glade is a magical woodland bar and the perfect place to grab afternoon tea, comfort food, or evening cocktails. The artwork is inspired by early 20th century stationary. Artists Carolyn Quartermaine and Didier Mahieu, create the fairy-tale like experience with a decoupage forest.  

The Glade offers comfort food and cocktails. It’s all about a beautiful chill-out.

THE EAST BAR

The East Bar is an edgy contemporary bar and lounge created by Mourad Mazouz & acclaimed designer Noe Duchaufour Lawrance designed as a perfect place for a pre-dinner, pre-theater, or post-whatever cocktail.

THE PARLOUR

A delightful place for a decadent tea, The Parlour is an eccentric patisserie, restaurant and bar, with a mix of cushy Louis XV seating (Members only from 9pm).

Dutch creative duo Reinier Bosch and Carolina Wilcke are presenting a collection of striking and richly narrative pieces at sketch.

The Ancestors lights explore the origin of objects and their archetypes. African tribal shields served as inspiration here. The surface patterns recall scarification motifs by piercing, fiercely cutting and decorating the surface. There’s a stunning shield covered in small black Swarovski crystals.

Twenty of these shields are currently on display in the Parlour. Ancestors Lights will remain on display at sketch throughout the month of October and the Frieze Art Fair.

This summer sketch London has introduced the Ketel One Creative Talks, a monthly series of informal discussions from celebrated minds in the creative industry, which continued through LDF and onward.

Held in the Parlour, the casual, salon-style conversations gives an insight to the minds of brilliant influencers in art and design including Ron Arad, Max Lamb, Rolf Sachs, Faye Toogood and Piergiorgio Robino.

Each speaker has been carefully selected by Clea Irving, sketch’s in-house art curator. Check out the upcoming schedule.

SKETCH EXHIBITIONS

Paris-based designer and sculptor Noé Duchaufour-Lawrence, along with several other international designers were commissioned for signature art works, which are featured throughout sketch.

Over the past decade sketch has hosted over fifty major exhibitions. The sketch exhibitions programme is curated by Clea Irving.

Of course, the loos (aka bathrooms) are a must see. Check out the white space-age pods as well as the opulent neo casbah versions.

Read more about Beautiful Design, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink,Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including London Design Festival Beauties and Turning Science Into Art at London Design Festival.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Design in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 09.28.14. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

PHOTO CREDITS:

1. Photo: Courtesy of sketch. David Shrigley at sketch.
2. Photo: Courtesy of A Heaping Spoonful. Sketch Restaurant Review.
3. Photo: Courtesy of Laissez Fare. Sketch Lecture Room & Library.
4. Photo: Courtesy of Gourmet Season. Afternoon tea in London: sketch.  
5. Photo: by Katie and Chelsea. LET THEM EAT CAKE! sketch London.
6. Photo: Courtesy of sketch. David Shrigley at sketch.
7. Photo: Courtesy of sketch.  David Shrigley at sketch.
8. Photo: Courtesy of sketch. Afternoon Tea at sketch.
9. Photo: Courtesy of sketch. David Shrigley Tea Set.
10. Photo Courtesy of sketch. David Shrigley Coffee Cup.
11. Photo: Courtesy of sketch. The Lecture Room.
12. Photo: Courtesy of sketch. The Glade.
13. Photo: Courtesy of sketch. The East Bar.
14. Photo Courtesy of sketch. Personal Chocolate Lava Cake.
15. Photo: Courtesy of London Design Festival. sketch Installation.
16. Photo: Courtesy of HOMEBUILDLIFE. Ancestors Lights by Reinier Bosch and Carolina Wilcke.
17. Photo: Courtesy of HOMEBUILDLIFE. Ancestors Lights by Reinier Bosch and Carolina Wilcke.
18. Photo: Courtesy of London Design Festival. Ketel One Creative Talks.
19. Photo: Courtesy of London Design Festival. Max Lamb for Ketel One Creative Talks.
20. Photo: Courtesy of sketch. Clip from Ketel One Creative Talks
21. Video: Courtesy of Vimeo from sketch. Ketel One Creative Talks.
22. Photo: by Stylish Miss Blog. Eat your art out…  
23. Photo: by The Metro Perspective Blog. Sketch London Restaurant.  
24. Photo: by Rodrigo T. Stairs leading to/from the pod loos.