
07.16.24
Interiors
This London Cafe Proves There’s No Color Butter Yellow Can’t Elevate
As colors go, pink has had a rough go the past couple of years. Once the province of all things millennial, a chromatic stand-in for brands from Acne to Mansur Gavriel, it fell deeply out of fashion over the last few years, fueled by an onslaught of think pieces with titles like “The Tyranny of Terrazzo” and “Millennial pink is dead: Unpacking Gen Z’s imperfect, bright and unapologetic aesthetic.” But while it can be fun to chart the rise and fall of certain colors or trends, the assertion that any trend can or should actually die is misinformed at best: What are we supposed to do with all the things we’ve brought into our space that embody our new, now soured aesthetic? But a new cafe at London’s Somerset House, run by acclaimed chef Rishim Sachdeva and designed by the London- and Milan-based studio Duelle, seems to prove a rule that people keep forgetting: that any color or trend can feel fresh again depending on the context in which it’s placed. Seeing Café Petiole’s cafe tables and 1930s bentwood chairs doused in a layer of antique rose and set against a backdrop of butter yellow and blue, made me feel like I was seeing Millennial Pink for the first time all over again.
There are many details to love in this tiny space, inspired by the artist’s cafés of Europe — handmade parchment pendants and sconces by Colin Chetwood, meant to resemble peonies (“petiole” refers tot he stalk that attaches a plant stem to its leaf); abstracted paintings by Ellen Mae Williams, a London-based textile artist who specializes in natural dyes; old-world touches like a carved mahogany mirror and floral pedestals; stenciling; and hand-painted murals of faux rose-colored alabaster. But the palette — a riot of pastels that could read Victorian dollhouse in another application — is the star here. Butter yellow — which we’ve previously seen paired with more elemental materials and textures, like stainless steel or leather — does the heavy lifting here, giving the whole space the feeling of an old Italian kitchen, or a Danish art salon.
“We wanted the colors to capture and reflect light, even amidst the cool, grey backdrop of London days,” the designers say. “This palette, set against the north-facing light and the views of Somerset House’s stunning, soft off-white facade, revitalizes the classic yellow and blue hues often found in Italian and French design but subtly adjusted to echo the unique light and architecture of London.”
PHOTOS BY JASPER FRY