Chiltern Firehouse

Chiltern Firehouse

The Chiltern Firehouse is a venerable old building, one of the first fire stations in London, constructed in 1889. It’s now Grade II listed, which brings its own set of challenges, and we felt that the most important part of our work was to understand and respect its history and heritage. Working in The Ladder Shed restaurant and bar, rather than simply adding on a new coat of paint, we chose to go in the opposite direction – painstakingly and forensically peeling back the layers using a chemical stripping agent, to finally be rewarded with the discovery of the glorious original distemper wall finish. We then created complimentary finishes on many pieces of furniture, fittings and equipment.

May-October 2013
Contractor: Knight Harwood
Designer: StudioKo
Client: Andre Balazs