Mizzi Studio’s Curvaceous clad Kiosks

The Royal Parks announce an exciting collaboration with Colicci to launch a collection of healthy food kiosks across London parks. Tom Raffield, who has become known for the transformation of wood using a unique method of steam bending, has been commissioned to realise Mizzi Studio’s design for curvaceous oak cladding for a number of the kiosks.

Serving healthy breakfast, brunch and lunch using the finest local and seasonal ingredients alongside freshly baked cakes and pastries from the Colicci bakery, local roasted single origin coffee and ice cream, the cafes and kiosk structures are organically-inspired and will be sympathetic to the Grade I listed landscape and embody the ethos of The Royal Parks. Mizzi Studio have used sustainable materials and traditional craft techniques to create simple, functional forms that are visually captivating.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have extended our long-standing partnership with The Royal Parks. Food & drink is an important part of everyone’s day and we believe in pairing great tasting fresh food with a truly memorable experience. By pioneering a ‘collection’ of revolutionary kiosks & cafes we have pushed the boundaries in design & architecture. Now you can buy your cup of coffee from a sculpture in the park.” – Rob Colicci.

Colicci, an artisan family brand of cafes and kiosks in London has collaborated with The Royal Parks to launch two new landmark cafes, The Serpentine Cafe and Story’s Gate Cafe, and a fleet of nine sculptural kiosks offering a range of locally sourced food and drink, including London’s first health focused park cafe.

Award-winning architects and design practice, Mizzi Studio have been chosen to create the structures and interiors which will be erected at noteworthy locations including the entrances to Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park. With the first kiosks erected this autumn and the last opening in March 2019, the cafes and kiosks are destinations that should be on everyone’s list whether paired with a walk through the parks or not.

Storey’s Gate Cafe: London’s first healthy food cafe in The Royal Parks will open in spring 2019 in St James Park and is a collaboration between Colicci, Chef Theo Randall and The Royal Parks. Theo Randall has worked with Colicci to devise a healthy menu with a large choice of vegan dishes using seasonal produce. Breakfast and brunch includes Crunchy Coconut Bircher Muesli; Smashed Avo with lime, hummus, rocket and chilli flakes on sourdough; Acai Bowl topped with seasonal berries, coconut shavings, cacao nibs, goji berries, chia seeds and pecans or a selection of cakes including a carrot and walnut.

For lunch, the deli has a selection of hot and cold dishes such as Soft Chili Cheese on sourdough; Chicken with bacon and avocado on charcoal focaccia; Roast Butternut Squash with red onion, tahini and za’atar; Aubergine Salad with goats cheese, couscous and mint or one of their daily soups. The cafe offers a selection of juices, smoothies, coffees and gelato.

The new structure designed by Article Design Studios will use methods and finishes that are sympathetic and complement the existing and adjacent architectural details with a warmer tonal palette which draws inspiration from the autumnal colours found in St James Park. The interiors will be clean, elegant and inviting using hexagonal shapes and limited timber to make Storey’s Gate a destination in its own right.

The Serpentine Cafe: opening in Hyde Park in spring 2019 and have views across the Serpentine Lake and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. The cafe will serve a selection of artisanal bakery products, single origin coffee and London’s finest gelato sourced from local partner Gelupo.

The fleet of nine kiosks: offering a similar range of food and drink but each have unique dishes tailored to the respective site. These include a range of sweet treats such as fresh waffles served with nutella, oreo cookies and ice cream; Blueberry Bask waffle served with blueberries, greek yoghurt and fruit coulis, Purbeck Ice Cream, Gelupo Gelato, Prosciutto, rocket, mozzarella and chilli jam filled croissants or Poppy Seed muffin and Fruity Flapjack from the bakery.

Lunch offers a range of hot and cold piadina wraps such as chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato and mayo and falafel, hummus, red cabbage, coriander, cucumber, beetroot and tahini; Sourdough Toasties; Bloomers; Sourdough Baguettes and Ciabattas; Salads including the Vegan Earth Bowl of avocado, chilli, spinach, kale, quinoa, red pepper hummus and flaxseeds and fancy hot dogs such as the Crispy Dog with BBQ sauce, coleslaw and crispy bacon.

As you can agree, these are spectacular designs formed by Mizzi Studio with the help of Tom Raffield for Colicci and the Royal Parks. If you would like learn more about Tom Raffield, he recently explored the history of wood with Design Insider, which you can read here.

[Photo Credit: Mizzi Studio]