5th September 2018

Piraña: an interior with bite

Hot off the heels of Pimlico restaurant Omar’s Place and Hackney nightlife hub Night Tales, Sella Concept is back with another pilgrimage spot for design-loving foodies – South America-inspired bar and restaurant Piraña in South London’s Balham.

The restaurant, which is located in South London’s emerging nightlife hub Bedford Hill, has been masterminded by brothers Alistair and Nicholas Heathcote. Over the past five years they’ve brought together a winning combination of thoughtful design and top-notch grub to a series of venues across London. In Tooting, you might have visited their Indian-inspired cocktail den Imperial Durbar or Himalayan-flavoured spot The Hill Station, whereas in East London late-night Dalston tapas haunt La Cabina is always packed with happy eaters.

Photography by Nicholas Worley.

Although the menu is a modern take on South American flavours, brothers Alistair and Nicholas were keen to swerve a derivative aesthetic. Instead Sella Concept founders Tatjana von Stein and Gayle Noonan developed a bold, retro design focusing on their eye for detail. ‘The brief was to create something unique with no particular cultural reference but that invites guests to eat and drink in a relaxed manner throughout the day,’ Tatjana tells us. ‘Our approach rests on colour and flow, creating spaces within spaces to drink and dine.’

Each area of the space has been zoned, with a subtle variation in mood throughout. Sella Concept crafted the spaces to have a seamless, causal flow, so not to divide diners and drinkers. In the front room you’ll find a chef’s table, curved bar, banquette-lined platform and a ‘secret’ snug with a private bar hatch. The back room is more opulent, with intimate private booths – allowing guests to choose to between sociable, more open space or hideaways for a more private experience.

Photography by Nicholas Worley.

Outside Sella Concept opted for bright blue mosaics paired with red metal window frames. Inside, the pair drew on their trademark love for textures and sensory materials, mixing a jade terrazzo floor, with micro mosaic tiling at the bar, light blue powder-coated futures and earthy red upholstery. Every item of furniture (aside from the chairs and the lights) has been designed bespoke for Piraña, from the bar to the bathroom sinks. The duo even created Piraña’s visual identity, including menus and business cards, drawing on Gayle’s background in graphic design.

It’s a light and welcoming space that – given Sella Concept’s normal penchant for pastels – signals quite a departure from the design studio’s aesthetic so far. We can’t wait to have a look for ourselves when it opens later this summer.

We quizzed Sella Concept and several other inspiring architects about how they create well-designed spaces in this News + Ideas feature.

Photography by Nicholas Worley.

Find out what makes Sella Concept tick in our in-depth interview here.

Photography by Nicholas Worley.