Alison Henry Design Studio’s most recent project, the sumptuous and joyful design for a new photography gallery café, is now open to the public in the heart of London’s Fitzrovia.
The brainchild of gallerists Ghislain Pascal and Tamara Beckwith Veroni of Little Black Gallery, this novel concept for a gallery cum café, wine bar and all-around cultural hub, exhibits Queer and Gay Fine Art Photography from an impressive international roster of artists. The open and sumptuous setting designed by Alison Henry welcomes all into its soft pink, velvety embrace.
A minimal black exterior and an understated neon ‘Boys! Boys! Boys!’ sign by contemporary photographer Cig Harvey contrasts with Alison’s design for its exuberant interiors. Having completely gutted the space (formerly an optician), above all Alison sought to create a warm and elegant home for BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! – an antidote to the cool, whitewashed spaces often associated with galleries. Walls and custom-designed shelves panelled in American walnut, pink cut velvet upholstery, walls in Dulux “Pink Nougat” and antique brass detailing, are just a few of the design flourishes Alison utilised to make the gallery feel so genteel and inviting. Meanwhile, the patterned mosaic tile floor lends texture and a sense of patina. And finally, the use of pink as a unifying and overarching theme on walls, upholstery and the custom-made pink onyx bar and tabletops is Alison’s own wink at the queer community.
With this project, Alison also showcases her hospitality nous creating a space that multi-tasks quite deftly, serving not just as a contemporary Art gallery, but also as a shop, café, wine bar and event venue for talks and discussions, which the gallery hosts several times a month. Alison’s design for a luxe, gem-like setting betrays its hardworking, hardwearing functionality. It required custom-made pieces for many of its unique features, from the picture shelves for the casual display of framed photographs, to the bespoke walnut and brass bookshelves – Alison’s own design – for relevant Photography books, Art quarterlies and magazines, including the gallery’s own biannual limited edition. And then there’s the magnificent, showstopping bar, the true focal point of the room, with its pink onyx bar top and antique mirror backsplash and faceting on the front of the bar. Not only does it tie the room together, making the space particularly chic and lavish, but it also coaxes light into the bar, creating a sense of spaciousness.
Tamara Beckwith Veroni, co-founder of BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! sums it up, “When Ghislain called me with his ideas and thoughts of how he envisioned this very special project and knowing him as well as I do, it was a no brainer to recommend my great friend Alison Henry. I had had the good fortune to work with her on my current home. Her creative side is chic and elegant. She is truly professional, and is able to break down a client’s brief and interpret what they are after. The BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! café is a gorgeous little nook in the heart of bohemian Fitzrovia! Truly a gem…”
Alison’s design knowhow extends far beyond the decorative and deep into the somewhat less glamorous nuts and bolts of project management and Interior Architecture. The Studio executed this total transformation project in a manner of months, a rarity in the contracting world, especially when dealing with listed buildings in Central London, as is the case at BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!.
As co-founder Ghislain Pascal explains, “Working with Alison Henry Design has been an exceptional experience. I wanted this project to be stress free. Because I live in France I did not want to be coming backwards and forwards to London for the length of the project – in particular as it was over the summer. Alison took control of the project from day one and left me to enjoy my summer. In fact I only came back once over the entire two months. She project-managed all of the building work and implemented her original and fresh design ideas to make my vision a reality. I could not be happier with the project and the end result. I think we have created a little gem in the heart of London. A new queer cultural hub for everyone to enjoy.”
