A new restaurant at the British Film Institute’s London headquarters boasts bespoke lighting by .PSLAB, designed to evoke the style and drama of classic cinematography.

The British Film Institute headquarters – located in the heart of London’s Fitzrovia district – is in many ways the beating heart of the UK film industry. Home to the protectors of the national film archive, arbiters of UK film funding and organisers of the London Film Festival, the building on Tottenham Court Road recently gained a new dining space, Stephen Street Kitchen.

Designed in collaboration with Benugo and Softroom Architects, the new venue combines a relaxed, stylish dining experience with access to the BFI’s private screening rooms, making it an ideal feeder space for special events.

Bespoke light fittings were created for the space by Beirut-based fixture specialists .PSLAB. Elegant, white-and-brass insertions, custom-designed and fabricated by .PSLAB, introduce an interplay of light and space that forms the basis of cinematic art. While its dreamlike shape is somehow evocative of classic Hollywood, the golden light produced provides a warm glow to the rugged concrete ceiling, raw hardwood floor, and streamlined furniture within the space.

The fixtures are repeated in different formats throughout the venue both within the restaurant and attached to its exterior.

All fixtures were produced using a manual, recto/verso bending technique applied to corrugated brass sheets. The resulting cylinders are given a powder-coated exterior finish, while the natural brass interiors are left to create a burnished glow. These pieces are finally hinge-mounted to the columns, providing the space with a modular aspect, allowing the light scheme to be subtly manipulated according to the desired mood.

The design of these cylinders is echoed in the large separators placed between the couch seating booths. Utilising a smaller-scale version of the column pieces, these table lamps are finished in brass and are outfitted with a custom black base, lending a touch of film noir to the dining experience.

The corrugated drum finds a third iteration in the meeting room lighting, in which the cylinders are affixed directly to the ceiling in quadruplets.

In combination, the fixtures provide a fitting elegance and drama to match the work of the BFI above and below.

www.pslab.net
www.softroom.com