Step 1 of 2
Join Our Mailing List
Effetto is the marketplace connecting interior designers and collectors with curated selections of high-end furniture and collectibles from the world’s best dealers.

To ensure you get the most relevant news please let us know if you are:
Please select an option to proceed

Design restaurants: Inside the maximalist mecca of Caviar Kaspia London

In our series of stunning restaurants for design lovers, Effect Magazine uncovers the world’s most beautiful eateries which elevate the senses through exceptional attention to interior design. Up next it’s the recently opened Caviar Kaspia in London.

Lovers of fine dining will be well aware of Caviar Kaspia. A Parisian institution dubbed the unofficial headquarters for the international style set since its founding in the capital in 1927, it is so beloved that diners have been known to nick the restaurant’s blue ashtrays as mementos, or to sell them for close to £100 on eBay. It’s no surprise then that its latest outpost has found its way to an old Mayfair townhouse, once more using a smorgasbord of colours and patterns to create an immersive home away from home for guests.

This time around, Portuguese studio Oitoemponto were given free reign to work their maximalist magic on the private members club, which comprises a restaurant, cocktail bar and boutique within its four walls. “The story of Caviar is of travelling,” says Artur Miranda, CEO and founder of the design studio. “Our idea with the interiors is to bring a very French art de vivre to London. We want guests to feel a sense of escape but, at the same time, to feel like they are in a private home.”

Spread over three floors, Oitoemponto’s choice of materials enhances the intimate feeling of the space, with wallcoverings and carpets that define each room and come complemented by silk and velvet cushioning and rich geometric and floral patterns.

Silk, velvet, and rich geometric and floral patterns are key design motifs at Caviar Kaspia London - Effect Magazine
Silk, velvet, and rich geometric and floral patterns are key design motifs at Caviar Kaspia London (Photo: Francis Amiand)

“We used lots of different details from the countries where caviar comes from: Russia and Persia,” Jacques Bec, Oitoemponto’s owner and co-founder tells Effect. “The staircase mouldings, for example, are inspired by a detail of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg and are mixed with mirrored patterns from a palace in Tehran, while the wooden portico and the rose pattern of the carpet evoke palaces on the Caspian Sea or in Isfahan.”

The story of Caviar is of travelling. Our idea with the interiors is to bring a very French art de vivre to London.

Then there’s the restaurant’s ceiling too, which pays tribute to the superb watercolours of traditional paintings of the imperial palaces of Tsarskoye Selo.

Surprisingly, none of the design elements are inspired by the original Parisian restaurant other than the Caviar Kaspia mosaic logo in the main entrance and the blue tablecloths and napkins. As for their design highlights, Miranda and Bec point to the Portuguese tiles that cover the walls to the little shop in the restaurant’s entrance, and the Madeleine Castaing wallpaper used in the toilets. “We also love the walls in the dining room which come covered with moss green suede and contrast with the Victorian fireplace in gold leaf and black lacquer, as well as the black lacquered ceiling in the private living room which mirrors the decor in an inverted way.”

We want guests to feel a sense of escape but, at the same time, to feel like they are in a private home.

Keen to utilise colourful artworks that represent different styles and periods in history, Miranda and Bec exclusively selected handmade reproductions of Russian painters from the beginning of the 20th century that reinforce the feeling of collector’s house. “We have selected figurative painters from the end of the 19th century such as Boris Kustodiev and Konstantin Korovin, as well as a large number of constructivist painters,” explains Bec. “In the bar on the ground floor, you’ll find colourful compositions by Ivan Tatlin and Paul Mansouroff that are in keeping with the club’s lively evenings, while in the restaurant Kuzma Petrov’s big red horse proudly overhangs the fireplace. There’s even a portrait from Alexej von Jawlensky that watches over guests as they dine on their caviar, too.”

Inside these joyous surroundings, members can relax while they drink carefully crafted cocktails and indulge in the renowned Caviar Kaspia classic baked potato served alongside the likes of Dover sole, lobster or fillet of beef. Sensational food amidst exceptional interiors – what more could you ask for?

Read more: Design | Interior Design | Design RestaurantsLondon