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conic is a word that’s often overused in the realms of architecture and design, but when it comes to the work of David Collins Studio, it’s hard to argue otherwise. Renowned for its ability to create glamorous yet inviting spaces that people want to be in and be seen in — from Claridge’s to Cecconi’s, the Wolseley to Bob Bob Ricard — David Collins Studio has masterminded some of the most influential and talked-about interiors of the past four decades.
This is in part due to the collaborations the studio has cultivated over the years, starting with its longstanding partnership with Marco Pierre White, which began in 1988. Often regarded as the first modern celebrity chef, White had seen La Tante Claire — a project the studio had completed for his former boss and mentor, the renowned chef Pierre Koffmann — and wanted some of the same. “The first restaurant I worked on with David was Harvey’s on Wandsworth Common, which belonged to Marco,” says David Collins Studio’s CEO, Iain Watson, who, having bonded with Collins in a bar because they were both wearing the same rare Dries Van Noten jacket, joined the business that same year. “At that time Marco was in his White Heat era and was the poster boy for British cooking. No one else was doing fine dining at that scale, and most certainly not at that level.” A string of MPW restaurants including Mirabelle, Quo Vadis and the Canteen (with Michael Caine) followed, cementing the studio’s presence in the capital’s dynamic restaurant scene.
