Audrey Green and Larry’s Bar at the National Gallery is the fourth hospitality venue that our team has designed for the Daisy Green Collection, following our work creating Paradise Green in Bishopsgate,  Scarlett Green in Soho, and Bondi Green in Maida Vale Paddington. 

Audrey Green and Larry’s Bar have very distinct personalities. Audrey Green is ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ inspired and bathed in natural light, occupying the ground floor of the gallery’s East Weston Wing, a cool, contemporary and airy space. Accessed from within the Gallery and its own street entrance on Charing Cross Road, Audrey Green serves specialty coffee, tea, sandwiches, brunch and cake to art lovers as they take a break from exploring the exhibitions and will also offer a weekend bottomless brunch.

Sited within the newly re-opened landmark gallery, which was closed for three years as part of a major redevelopment project, Audrey Green is the gallery’s ground floor café. Larry’s Bar is located one floor below, in the gallery’s atmospheric vaults – and is a brand-new nightspot serving cocktails, curated beers, wine and delicious food.

The café’s new design is blessed with beautifully restored original architectural features, including an amazing mosaic floor and striking original shutters around picture windows with views onto Charing Cross Road. Audrey’s statement coffee bar takes centre stage with a beautiful veined marble counter, with soft concrete fluting and La Marzocco espresso machines serving up its signature delicious coffee – all flanked by bold, modern artworks celebrating leading lights in the world of ballet.

The underground bar has been designed into the fabric of the vaults, with one side nestled within the heart of the vault arches, beautifully moody by night, but the other side of the bar is drenched in daylight from the glazed ceiling that hints at the bustling street level above. Like Audrey, Larry’s is connected to the gallery but also has a dedicated street entrance from Charing Cross Road.

Stairs from Audrey Green take guests down to the atmospheric lower-ground vaults, which have been fully refurbished and are now home to Larry’s Bar, a seductive and cosy space with soft lighting that highlights the beautiful brick arches. Intimate booths have been designed into the individual arches of the rotunda in a mix of rich velvets and leather for intimate get-togethers with friends and romantic date nights.

We also designed intimate one-man booths for couples or singles in Larry’s bar. These include power outlets for visitors wanting to re-charge their phone or laptop for a short while during their break from the galleries.

Daisy Green collection venues are always art-filled, usually featuring works from the private collection of owners Tom Onions and Prue Freeman. For Audrey Green and Larry’s Bar, the walls are decorated with works from the National Portrait Gallery’s world-renowned photography collection, with collections of stunning, iconic framed portraits and sculptures as far as the eye can see – and the art really is the heart and soul of the space. Tom’s research on Audrey Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, the West End, London and Soho served as the basis for the thematic selections.

A team of specialists, including National Portrait Gallery curator Sabina Jaskot-Gill, and artist Justin Hibbs who planned the production from framing to the vast Salon Hangs; to photographer Alan McFetridge who digitally remastered and printed the images, all collaborated to bring the project to life. Celebrating the vibrant arts and music scene and diverse cultural icons of the area, depicted in a different, unique light. Ballet and fashion dress the ground floor while theatre, film and music adorn the Vaults downstairs in Larry’s Bar, creating a truly unique and immersive drinks and dining experience for art lovers in the capital. The space will also be used as an events venue for private hire.

We designed curved, tiered booth seating in a vibrant rich palette of tone-on-tone and colour-clash pinks and reds, complemented beautifully by the art curation, with certain hero pieces also framed by the decorative wall finish creating curved forms behind works. FF&E design features a mix of marble and timber-edged stone tables in fresh Carrera in Emperador brown and deep oxblood-red tones, with cocktail tub chairs, cantilevers, and upholstered stools in a mix of vintage velvets, leathers and textural weaves. Fitted seating features signature deco-curved, tiered back-rests but the bases are kept light and open, more like sofas, with turned timber legs adding a traditional wood-working twist.

“It was a privilege to be involved with the rest of the Daisy team in the creation of Audrey Green and Larry’s Bar within such a stunning, landmark gallery. Our interior design is an evocative part of the exciting new destination café/bar venue, but the art is the true hero as befits the Gallery location. Where else might you be sipping a delicious cocktail in the company of such amazing creative works from the gallery’s collection? We love the way Larry’s bar transitions through the day from light and fresh to warm, cosy and bar-fly moody.”

Anna Burles, Founder Creative Director, Run For The Hills