While the last few years have seen my work focus on large-scale residential projects, just this last summer I was approached to design a new London photography gallery / café and bar – BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! – which I was thrilled to get involved with. I started my career in large hotel & restaurant projects in Asia, and so this bijoux LGBTQ+ bar in the middle of Fitzrovia was a lovely return to my hospitality roots. I’m sharing it with you now because I’m quite proud of it, and also because with Valentine’s Day upon us, I believe it represents what this rather commercial holiday should really focus on: togetherness and community in whatever form that takes.
There are numerous studies out there now that support the theory that a healthy social life leads to better health outcomes. For example, one study found that people who had more hugs in their life when exposed to the common cold, fared better than those who didn’t. Moreover, to quote this article (link: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2017/02/do-social-ties-affect-our-health#:~:text=Making%20Connections,in%20things%20you%20care%20about.) from the National Institute of Health, “Studies have found that people who have larger and more diverse types of social ties tend to live longer.” To me, that sounds like a compelling invitation to call or text a friend and meet up for a coffee or a drink – maybe even at BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!
What I love about this project is that it was built (in an ex-Opticians in an old, listed building) from the first brick down to the last lick of (pink) paint with inclusion and community in mind. We wanted to transgress the traditional trope of the haughty, hushed Art Gallery of old, and present a space not just for viewing a world-class collection of Queer & Gay Fine Art Photography from an international roster of artists, but for meeting and communing around it. As Ghislain Pascal, the innovative gallery owner puts it, “Galleries have become such boring, alien, elitist, and unfriendly white boxes that nobody wants to visit any more. We’re trying to create a friendly, welcoming environment where people can enjoy visiting, get a cup of coffee or glass of wine, whilst picking up a copy of our latest BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! magazine, book, zine or artwork, whilst chatting to our friendly front of house.”
So while the custom-designed American walnut-lined display shelves elegantly present the works, pink cut velvet upholstery and pink Onyx café tables invite viewers to sit down and enjoy their time there with a drink. 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, and moreover, openness. I wanted this small space to feel light, airy and joyful; a place for meeting to enjoy Art and create community while doing so.
These winter days can certainly be dreary. Go out and find a space – with a friend or loved one – that brings you together and makes you feel good!
Love, Alison x
Photos: Party shots by John Armour Interiors by Charles Moriarty