5 style lessons to steal from Cocotte – one of London chicest new restaurants

French-inspired rotisserie Cocotte has opened a new hangout in South Kensington. The restaurant is the fifth location in London and offers 'farm-to-table' food in an indisputably beautiful setting. 

And, while you're going to want to recreate both its menu – and its modern decorating ideas at home, we can only help with the latter. Here, designer Alessio Nardi of Milan’s A-nrd studio explains how to mirror its aesthetic in your scheme. 

1. Use fluted wood to create a textured wall 

We discovered the fluted wooden walls after stripping out the venue. When we saw them, they reminded us of the traditional lath and plaster panels you would find in Victorian houses and immediately decided to keep them. Recreating a similar effect is straightforward; the horizontal planks are pinned to vertical timber battens or directly to the walls for a more subtle shadow gap. 

However, it might take a few tests to achieve the desired textural effect. It took us around ten samples to find the right textural balance. 

2. Let the sun guide your color palette 

Cocotte has a windowed shop front that fills the space with natural light. Here, we thought of playing with neutral tones in different textures that will organically change throughout the day depending on the external light. 

The tiles – hand-made in Morocco – present a glossy uneven finish which adds another textural layer to the front of the restaurant– and a touch of playfulness through three colour accents: lime green, coral, and electric blue. Study how the light changes throughout the day in your home, and see where you spend the majority of your time. A lighter, neutral scheme will brighten these areas.  

3. Be playful with your tabletops 

Marble and marble agglomerates are often found on our material boards. They make countertops and bring a natural element and pattern to a space. For all the marble and terrazzo elements, we collaborated with an Italian family business in Verona. The tabletops are all bespoke with various sizes and edge details. 

Both finishes would look great in a home, especially the green Alpi, a standout in any space. A kitchen counter and matching backsplash – or a focal dining table – will demand all attention.  

4. Time travel with retro chairs 

We liked the idea of bringing another natural material and a patterned accent to the space, so we started researching cane webbing chairs. We found some original Italian 1970s chairs that we loved and purchased them straight away. It was only a small set, so we sourced some more chairs from John Lewis for the rest of the space. Cane webbing and rattan are great to add both a retro and natural feel to the space. 

There are some great vintage pieces in the market – from the traditional Thonet models to more obscure 70's and 80's pieces, which will suit any home.  

5. Go bold with metallic accents 

The metallic bar front was made from raw brass foil strips hand folded and pinned together to create an artisanal finish with a unique wavy texture. We wanted to create a contrast between the flat earthiness of the concrete walls and oak flooring with a reflective yet imperfect finish. 

The brass has been left unlacquered to slowly age with time and blend in with the space. Metallic accents also look great in a domestic setting. For larger surfaces, we would suggest a natural finish that is more subtle than a highly polished one.

You can visit Cocotte South Kensington at 11 Harrington Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 3ES. And, in the meantime, you can recreate their ornate interior design ideas across your dining room.