(24/100) PORTMAN VILLAGE – FIRST PERMANENT HOME
We were now in banana bread overdrive, and desperately needed a kitchen for our baking, a parking space for “Pinky” Green and a place to call home – and so “Daisy Green” was born.
She was beautiful - a quaint, light filled, Grade II listed corner site in #portmanvillage that I used to walk past on my way to work and admire. Inside she had character and history which we could add our own touches to. Importantly, even before a few months of hands on TLC (thanks @an_thomann @holly_joanna), Daisy had that cosy, familiar and warm Aussie feeling that we were looking for. The fact that it was without bathrooms, plumbing or kitchen facilities was secondary to us.
Daisy also had the feeling of discovery - beneath the cosy light filled ground floor café lay an underground labyrinth complete with five service vaults untouched since the 18th century. Perfect for the creation of our secret Alice in Wonderland oasis. It was an incredibly fun and exciting time and firm friendships were made, not least with the wonderful @shubyart who embraced the vision and worked tirelessly to expose and bring to life the historic vaults. More on @shubyart coming soon. This feeling of place and discovery was replicated in Scarlett Green in Soho which has the laid back upstairs going down to a sexy, naughty basement and a hidden outside-in mirrored dining room. All of our artwork is specially commissioned for each venue and some pieces can take more than a year to complete depending on the complexity.
Our approach to Daisy, and to all our spaces, is to add personality through “pops” - we love a piece of contemporary art, a colourful chair, a beautiful rug, big green planting or a great vintage wall lamp. Things that elicit good and inspiring feelings.
Daisy was (and still is) very special. Our first home. Our first café in London from which we could create our own Aussie café experience and really begin to bring some of the freshness and bold flavours that I missed from home.
Next up developing our first menu…