Designed and built in 1905 the Shoreditch Tramshed is a Grade II listed building, which, until now has been hidden away from public view. Built as an early sub-station it is a magnificent single space shed. Alongside restaurateur Mark Hix, Waugh Thistleton Architects have brought this hidden gem back to full public enjoyment through the creation of a unique restaurant and public art gallery, cementing Shoreditch’s mantle as London’s home for fine art and fine food.
The impressive main hall needed a strong and decisive design idea – a light touch that recognised the heritage of the building and complimented the Edwardian glazed brick interior. To achieve this the restaurant and its furniture were treated as interventions – self-sufficient objects in the space that do not compete with the interiors of the existing building. Great planks of Douglas fir, leather and heavy gauge stainless steel are used throughout; materials that match up to, but do not overwhelm the magnificent space. At the centre of the restaurant a Damien Hirst sculpture provides a focal point to the restaturant.
