Text provided by A-nrd Studio
Not usually a studio for following trends, A-nrd’s restaurant Akara taps into two trendy words of the moment: ‘minimaluxe’ and ‘quiet luxury’. Akara doesn’t shout, it whispers – created in collaboration with chef Aji Akokomi, this allows the colourful, punchy, flavoursome menu to do all the talking. To offset this neutral palette, the studio employed soft up-lighting, planting, contemporary art and authentic west-African objects and artifacts. Zoning the space is a buzzy cocktail bar crafted from carved oak, while tables and seats offer a sleek retreat alongside the more informal kitchen counter seating. Upstairs, a semi-private dining room offers a contrast in colour but also offers a coherence in its design.
A-nrd respected the sites heritage wherever possible, incorporating elements such as the historical archways directly into the design concept. Renowned for their highly crafted approach to furniture design, the studio also created a large, oak sculptural table in Akara’s private dining room in the mezzanine above, which can be separated into four smaller components to maximise versatility. The rich, contrasting dark wood inlay in this piece offers a nod to black-eyed peas, one of the main ingredients used at Akara. Floor to ceiling curtains in an organic grey linen also allow the dining area to be completely private when drawn, or opened for a view of the restaurant below – for guests who want to feel semi-connected to the buzz below.
