sketch was conceived by French master chef Pierre Gagnaire and restaurateur Mourad Mazouz and has attracted unprecedented media attention for its myriad of food, drink and entertainment styles since it opened in December 2002. Gagnaire’s eponymous Michelin three-starred Paris restaurant has a distinctive menu style which he has adapted for Sketch.

A Grade II listed building, sketch was formerly the headquarters of both RIBA and Christian Dior. The site consists of The Gallery, The Parlour, The Lecture Room and Library, The Glade and The East Bar.

The Lecture Room and Library:
Awarded its first Michelin star in 2005, this room was designed by Mourad Mazouz and Gabhan O’Keefe, to opulent effect. Decorated in shades of orange, with richly upholstered armchairs in purple and crimson, ivory walls of studded leather, an ornate plasterwork ceiling and crystal-encrusted bathrooms.

The Glade:
The magic surrounding this woodland bar, provides an ideal setting for afternoon tea, comfort food and evening cocktails… Artists Carolyn Quartermaine and Didier Mahieu, have created an enchanted fairy-tale forest. For The Glade at Sketch, they have created a découpage forest which appears like something half-remembered and yet completely contemporary. Taking inspiration from early c20th stationery, they re-painted, enlarged and reversed the design, printing it onto hundreds of metres of paper. Each piece is handcut, and découpaged to the walls. In this forest, delicate 50s rattan furniture, from the South of France, creates a startlingly modern fairy-tale romance.

The Gallery:
The Gallery is a 150-seat gastro-brasserie surrounded by ever-changing video exhabitions with 12 projectors creating a continuous strip of projection. Free and open to the public for video art viewing until 17:00, The Gallery then re-opens at 19:00 as a restaurant.

The Parlour:
The Parlour includes a full bar and is suitable for casual meetings, breakfasts, takeaway treats, informal lunches, or afternoon tea with homemade cakes and pastries. At night The Parlour is used exclusively for Sketch members and as a club.The style of The Parlour reflects one’s own living room, with 60 different fabrics in shades of rose pinks, oranges and dogtooth prints.

The East Bar:
A small intimate space with a sumptuous gold and black sunken bar, The East Bar is the perfect place for interaction and conversation, with an extensive menu of cocktails.