Blacksheep was appointed by renowned British chef, restaurateur and media personality Jamie Oliver to create a new and site-specific design for the new ‘Jamie’s Italian’ site at Westfield. The 250-cover restaurant displays a design that balances what was generic to the brand with new and exciting design features.
The 610 square metre interior space is long with a particularly narrow central area, which was rationalised into a series of zones – the main restaurant space (‘Piazza’); central ‘Market Place’ area without seating, which allows customers views of the kitchens and fresh pasta making; and rear dining space, The Back Room, which is a special intimate area with lower ceilings.
Stand-out features include a vintage branded Citroën van outside, serving Jamie’s ice-cream ’Smash Ups’; a ‘Scooter Wall’, made of rows of individual scooter headlights and a ‘Market Place’ section to highlight the retail and theatrical aspects of the kitchen. The banquette seating inside the restaurant is adorned with intricate details including timber wall panelling, slate flooring and teal leather. ‘Chimney’ clay lamps by Benjamin Hubert hang by the ceiling above each table. Feature metal panelled wall outside the toilets is clad in bespoke rusted and non-rusted metal panels. This wall was inspired by aging and abandoned agricultural equipment spotted in the fields of Tuscany.
The restaurant exterior features an L-shaped space, which offers al fresco dining beneath a canopy, suitable for year-round usage. The new, branded ice cream van sits at the corner of the L-shape. The external area is bordered and demarcated by planters made from reclaimed scaffold boards, which are full of herbs.
Jamie’s Italian is a collection of Jamie Oliver restaurants. Blacksheep, a creative graphic design company based in London, is also working on a further ‘Jamie’s Italian’ restaurant in Birmingham. Jamie Oliver already has restaurants in 13 cities around the UK.
