Cremer in Hoxton: London’s Talk-of-the-Town New Café, Library Included
by Margot Guralnick
“Cremer is built on intention, every detail is considered,” begins Cremer’s help wanted listing. The new London café, a combination bakery/breakfast and lunch canteen, is fittingly located next to Hoxton’s Museum of the Home, an institution devoted to “revealing and rethinking the ways we live in order to live better together.” Cremer seems to have come up with some answers.
Designed by Oscar Piccolo in collaboration with modernist design dealer/curator Gennaro Leone of Spazio Leone, the restaurant— “like the home of someone with impeccable taste,” as one critic put it—features commissioned work from a coterie of rising international design stars, most of whom are foreign creatives in London. (Piccolo and Leone are both Italian and Cremer owner Ramzi Abou Chalach is French.)
There are communal tables; desk-like spaces to sit, eat, and work; a library with a beckoning daybed; plus granny chic objects and striped and checked fabrics mixed in. It’s a winning combination.
Photography by Callum Su, courtesy of Oscar Piccolo and Cremer.
Above: Cremer occupies a corner spot that was originally a pub. Ramzi Abou Chalach also owns Space Talk, the popular “listening bar” in Clerkenwell.
Above: The Roman antiquity-inspired mosaic in the entry is the work of M.C. Mosaics and Kevin Francis Gray Studio.
Above: Botanical silk curtains by London weaver Yumo Yuan were handmade for the space. The shelf with the hanging mug between the windows is one of a trio commissioned from “nomadic creative collective” Apohli.
Above: All of Cremer’s built-ins, tables, and benches are Piccolo/Leone designs custom made by joiner Byron Pritchard in his North London workshop.
Above: The entry opens to the bakery with impressive display shelves of aged quarter-sawn oak.
Above: Pastries are served in wooden trays with checked linen mats. This is a strawberry and peanut danish. On the menu: Spanish egg toast, house baguette with butter and gooseberry jam, roast pork sandwich on just-baked bread, gazpacho, sheep’s cheese dumplings, and croissant ice cream.
Above: Beyond the bakery is the restaurant. Piccolo says Cremer is “a warm, intimate space built through friendship, conversation, and a shared love of making.”
Above: Anchoring the dining area is a painting by Nick Jensen whose work has been described as “reminiscent of bleary-eyed train journeys.”
Above: The minimalist communal tables and benches are quarter-sawn oak and sweet chestnut. Wall sconces of “eco resin” are by New York art lighting studio Cadis represented by Tiwa Select,
Above: The benches are cushioned in a faded stripe.
Above: Behind the shelves is an open kitchen.
Above: Vintage crockery is mixed with simple white restaurant ware and classic flatware.
Above: Fill up your own water at this antique Dutch ironstone fountain. The modernist chair and other vintage designs are from Spazio Leone.
Above: An 8-by-8 foot Douglas fir table and Vico Magistretti’s 1960s Carimate Chairs by Cassina in the library. The paper and steel pendant light is a made-to-order piece by artist Nick Metzler, who is represented by Spazio Leone.
Above: A reading nook amid the books.
Above: The daybed is the work of Hawa Al-Najjar, an Iraqi-British multimedia artist and designer who writes that her work is about “exploring objects and furniture craft through the lens of history, cultural exchange, and craftsmanship.”
Cremer is at 1 Geffrye Street in Hoxton. It’s open 8 to 6, Monday through Friday, and 9 to 6 on weekends.
Turn to the Remodelista Design Travel archive for more must-see places and design ideas, including:
10 Easy Pieces: All-Wood Table Lamps
by Alexa Hotz
In our search for summery wooden table lamps, we found ourselves drawn to designs that take the material all the way through, shade included. From light-diffusing wood veneer to sculptural solid timber, here are 10 that cast wood in a new light.
Above: The Ferm Living Luver Portable Lamp with a stacked, three tapered Douglas fir shade with a steam-bent wooden handle; $385 at Ferm Living.
Above: The Ferm Living Burl Table Lamp is made entirely of dark-stained poplar burl that gives off a soft glow when lit; $425.70 at Nordic Nest.
Above: The Vaarnii 018 Hoop Table Lamp, designed by John Tree, is made of Finnish pine with a sturdy solid wood base and a delicate lightweight shade in pine veneer; $299 at Finnish Design Shop.
Above: Designed by Hun Lee, the Soom Duo Ash Table Lamp emits a soft glow through ultra-thin ash wood; $1,480 at Claude.
Above: Idaho Wood and Brooklyn-based Post Company designed this Ravine Table Lamp, available in Douglas fir (shown), Western Red Cedar, or blackened Yakisugi Douglas fir, features a base and shade both carved from single pieces of timber; starting at $800 at TRNK.
Abvoe: Designed by Stamátios Fragos who referenced Greco-Roman columns when making this hand-brushed wooden dowel table lamp, the Parállilo Table Lamp in birch plywood and porcelain; $625 at TRNK.
Above: The LZF Tiny Table Lamp comes in natural beech (shown), cherry, or various color-tinted veneers; $616 at Perigold.
Above: From midcentury Swedish interior and furniture designer Hans Agne Jakobsson, the Pine Table Lamp continues to be handmade in Japan today; $1,100 for the small size at Slow Roads.
Above: The Astep Pepa Portable Lamp in Ash by Francesco Faccin is a rechargeable table lamp inspired by a classic pepper mill; $805 at Finnish Design Shop.
Above: The LZF Hotel Simple Table Lamp is made of veneer in whitewashed wood, beech, or cherry (shown); $764 at Perigold.
Above: From Axel Wannberg in Sweden, the 1970s-inspired Lamp 53 is made from mappa burl; $1,273 at The Oblist.
For more favorite table lighting, see our posts:
For daily dispatches and more favorite finds, head to Remodelista.com. For bonus content—like our weekly Quick Takes column—consider joining us as a paid subscriber.
Remodelista participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
