Shoreditch gets Stoned Pony club

A new £1.3m club and restaurant in London’s Shoreditch opens in April, with interiors designed by Yanik Allard Archi tecture and Design. Branding for The Stoned Pony, in Curtain Road, EC2, is by The Partners. The intention is for the venue to be distinct from other drinking venues in the East End when it opens on 13 May.

The 350m2 basement and ground floor space is being developed by YAAD principal, Canadian architect and designer Yanik Allard. His aim, he says, is to move away from what he describes as a ‘theme’ in bars in Shoreditch which ‘look as though they are an extension of everyone’s living room’.

Allard adds that his inspiration comes from a ‘house’ track entitled Mind Games by Abyss, and photographer Nick Knight’s Massive Attack album cover.
He was appointed in July by owner and Meet club mixologist Gerry Calabrese, after working on Mayfair bar Fifty.

The black-and-white horse logo which appears on the menus, bar sign and website is designed by The Partners, which was brought on board by Allard. 3D forest and mountain scenes, sculptures of recycled components from car accid – ents, mirrored walls and drink containers in the style of tea sets will be appearing inside, says Allard.

Dioramas more than 1.8m tall depicting an English forest and Bass Rock in Scotland appear behind the venue’s two bars as a focal point, and MDF tables in Ferrari red will contrast with the bar’s muted colour scheme and black ceilings.

Allard reveals, ‘A 1.5m-high sculpture made from pieces of scrap metal with a high-gloss finish will be used to create an impact, while drinks will be served in tea cups and saucers that echo the Prohibition era in the US.’

In contrast, The Partner’s branding designs are simple, echoing the name of the bar with the horse design. Robert Ball, design director at The Partners, says, ‘We have used one typeface in black and white, allowing the colour to be provided by the clientele and their surroundings.

‘The idea is that the design brings the down-to-earth quality of Shoreditch and the East End to the menus and logo, but looks like something you would find in a West End bar, giving it an east meets west feel,’ Ball adds.