Rosemary, sage, re-claimed pine and castor wheels are some of the ingredients Ryan Frank used to make the outdoor furniture for the Terrace Bar & Food, a sustainably-led restaurant at the National Theatre, London. The result is a collection of benches, tables and stools made from salvaged timber with built-in planters, allowing the staff to cultivate a range of herbs and plants right next to the restaurant.
The Terrace Bar & Food is situated on the second level of the National Theatre – a Grade 2 listed building, where one can still see the construction history in the walls of the building with its detailed grain textures of the wooden formwork. “It was this detail that gave me the inspiration for the construction of the furniture. I wanted the furniture to look like it had been made from the very planks reclaimed from the original construction of the National Theatre. I wanted the furniture to have a sense of belonging” says Frank. Placing the units on castor wheels helped give the final pieces a closer connection to the space, restaurant and building and allows this rooftop garden cafe to be continuously re-configure depending on the occasion and season.
Collection of benches and tables
built in herb garden
Bee-friendly bench