A London Cafe Takes a Shine to Copper - Remodelista
Exposed copper plumbing aficionados will want to take note of London firm TwistInArchitecture’s use of copper pipes in Trade, a new restaurant and coffee shop on Commercial Street in the city’s East End. Photography by Dominic Harris. “We wanted to show that copper pipes normally hidden away inside wall cavities can serve an aesthetic as well as functional role,” says TwistInArchitecture’s co-founder Andreja Beric. When entering Trade from Commercial Street, the coffee shop is at the front and the restaurant occupies the back. Backless stainless shelf units hang against textured brick walls. Suspended from the ceiling, copper tubing carries electricty to the pendant lights over the bar. Copper pipes were used to create a floor-to-ceiling staircase balustrade screen as well as a decorative screen running along the face of the bar. “Copper creates atmosphere through muted reflections and intricate shadows,” says Beric. A balustrade detail offers a look at the way the pipes are connected. The copper is paired with white brick walls and wood finishes. In the restaurant section, a wood-paneled wall serves as both a design element and an effective way to absorb noise. A lighting grid of copper pipes provides electricity across the back of the restaurant. Trade is located at 47 Commercial Street in Spitalfields, in London’s East End.