Chelsea Physic Garden: 350 Years Old and Continuing to Evolve
Chelsea Physic Garden is a four-acre gem in the heart of London. The Garden was originally established in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries as an outdoor classroom to train its apprentices. Today the Garden’s plant collection is the only botanic garden collection focused entirely on medicinal, herbal and useful plants. Members and visitors can find over 4,500 species of edible, useful and medicinal plants, that help to tell the story of humanity’s relationship with plants.
Visitors can also enjoy The Physic Garden café, which is open all year round (except January). Sedley Place collaborated with Company of Cooks on the refreshment of the café, which was looking tired and in need of modernising. This applied to the café itself and its kitchen and toilets.
Form & Function
Old Café
Our brief was to give the café a more contemporary, fresher, cleaner look; to give the bar/serving counter more presence; to modernise the kitchen and make it more efficient, and to refresh the toilets.
Inspired by Nature
In the café we introduced a soft natural colour scheme for the walls and white above new picture rails and the ceiling. The soft natural colours also extend to the new banquette seating, tables and chairs. The café’s old downlighters were replaced with a low-profile lighting tracking system. The walls are decorated with a set of framed botanic prints, chosen by the Garden’s team from its collection, and hung with planters. These planters are joined by plant pots displayed on tables and counters.
More Presence
The main bar/counter stands on a brushed brass plinth and is faced with metro aqua tiles and dark brown Charleston Oak laminate. The latter is also used on a separate serving staff’s water and cold storage counter. Both are topped with Corian Limestone Prima. A new mirrored, back bar displays wines, spirits, coffees and glasses. The counter, with tempting pastries and cakes, is illuminated by four coloured pendant lights.
The café features Amtico oak small parquet-effect flooring, while the refurbished toilets have Majestic Carrera tiles. Throughout the café, gold coloured door furniture and electrical switches have been used, while in the toilets the colour scheme is silver for taps, hand dryers, etc and white porcelainware.
In With the New
The kitchen has been reconfigured to make it more practical and easier to use. All of the kitchen equipment has been upgraded, new extraction and filtration systems introduced, and a cold room - missing from the old kitchen - added.
The refurbished café opened its doors this month, with not only a new design but a new menu showcasing fresh produce from London’s best suppliers, sourced exclusively from local artisans.
The refurbished café opened its doors this month, with not only a new design but a new menu showcasing fresh produce from London’s best suppliers, sourced exclusively from local artisans.
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