A.M. Studioworks celebrates the origins of produce for Mayfair restaurant identity

A.M. Studioworks has designed the identity for Mayfair restaurant 20 Berkeley, drawing on its relationship with progressive producers, suppliers and growers from around the British Isles.

The 20 Berkeley building housed disused offices before being transformed into a restaurant, with interiors by interior architecture and design studio Pirajean Lees. A.M. Studioworks’ research revealed that, while Mayfair is bustling and popular area of central London known for its restaurant scene, it once marked London’s threshold with the countryside.

The restaurant’s specific location on the corner of Berkeley Street and Hay Hill “denotes the historic boundary between town and country”, says A.M. Studioworks director Andrew Mitchell. This geographical significance warranted the reference to the street number in the logo, he says, which is the number 20 in Roman numerals: XX.

When standing alone, the numerals are “strong, solid and nicely balanced”, says Mitchell, retaining these qualities even when used at a small size, on menus, cutlery and business cards. Where a larger logo is needed, the full restaurant name is used instead.

Aiming for a “subtle exclusivity”, Mitchell explains how the restaurant’s brand concept “ties into the values of the Arts & Crafts movement”. A.M. Studioworks looked to emphasise “traditional craftsmanship”, offering up points of tactility, such as the folded puzzle purse-inspired private dining menus and translucent maps.

Maps feature on both the a la carte menu and the soon-to-be-finished cocktail menu. “The map visually represents where the ingredients are coming from and celebrates the client’s pride in their carefully and responsibly sourced produce, which is grown, farmed and produced from across the British Isles”, says Mitchell. The maps are positioned as a translucent overlay on the menu, adding an element of “discovery” to the experience, he adds.

The folded, origami-like private dining menus – decorated with water colour paintings – will change through the seasons with the dishes served. They also nod to the puzzle purse’s traditional use for Victorian love letters, referencing the studio’s brand idea “a love letter to nature”, says Mitchell.

Other tactile, traced and handwritten elements feature on the wine bottles and produce, in the bar space and fridges and through postcards, with a handwritten note from the chef or manager. “Breaking out of the brand’s typographic style to deliver these spontaneous, and personal touches makes 20 Berkeley’s concept inherently unique”, says Mitchell.

20 Berkeley’s colour palette draws inspiration from nature, making use of “rich, earthy, traditional tones” commonly found in Georgian and Victorian Arts & Crafts homes, according to Mitchell. The palette was devised using historic references, such as the 1814 book Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours, which Mitchell says “compiles named colour samples where each shade is described using observations from the natural world”.

A.M. Studioworks borrowed some of the shades and their names for the restaurant’s colour palette, from Hawthorn Blossom and Shrubby Pimpernel to Empire Grey and Chestnut Brown.

Banner and featured image credit: Benjamin McMahon