Located in the stylish St. Martin’s Lane Hotel in the heart of London’s Convent Garden, this vibrant restaurant and bar serves an unusual fusion of Asian and Latino food. The entire space covers two levels and accommodates around 165 customers.

Asia de Cuba at London, UK

At the entrance to the Rum Bar – one of the few overt references to Cuban culture – guests find themselves before a series of tall, slender steel tables with just enough room on the surface for a couple of drinks. These were custom designed for the project by Starck, as were the upholstered banquettes in the restaurant, set against white walls.

Neutral elements such as a maple floor and Scandinavian-style laminate chairs, featuring back slipcovers with insets of Italian lace, are offset by the more dramatic presence of rows of massive columns, each of displaying a different motif.

More than mere static and functional supports, these columns become a central element of the design. Shelves running the perimeter are overflowing with black and white photographs, flowerpots filled with plants or fresh flowers, or books on geography and history. Others may be upholstered in quilted cotton or clad in iridescent silk. One is simply covered in blackboard paint for customers to freely draw on.

Unadorned hanging light bulbs are a simple lighting solution which serves as a counterpoint to the visually-heavy volume of the columns.

The overall atmosphere is unique and somewhat surreal, but not fixed: in adhering to the desire to be able to change the look of this space on a regular basis, the open design scheme is intended to provide endless options for rearranging and restructuring.