SLOANE STREET DELI

A TASTE OF NOSTALGIA

Located on the iconic lower Sloane Street, Rawan Muqaddas’s interpretation of the Sloane Street Deli imbues nostalgic warmth to a space that is set to become a neighbourhood staple.

With its tile-wrapped counters and rattan banquettes, the Sloane Street Deli embodies the notion that eateries such as itself are essential for the local and daily customer who, now more so than ever, is looking for a home away from home.

Combining warmly-muted natural tones of terracotta, cream, and green (found both on the kitchen’s spice shelf and in its interiors), Sloane Street Deli was conceived with the thought of preserving history while staying true to the neighbourhood’s current fabric.

The original large windows framing the eatery flood the space with natural light that shines on careful attention to detail, such as the layering of wood and rattan, carved mouldings, and a curated selection of contemporary artworks on the walls. An homage to the previous deli and traditional delis around the globe, the original white mouldings, dark wooden floors, and marble tabletops all remained.

One design challenge was shifting from limited cooking to a fully operational kitchen. A workflow was optimised to seamlessly bind operations to the various types of customers that are either looking to dine in, take out, or pop in for their morning or afternoon coffee. Thus, an intimate space was created, allowing for comfort and flow with the customer’s journey at heart. Walking in, you are greeted by the tile-wrapped deli counter brimming with perfectly soft bagels and fresh pastries, the aroma of piping hot coffee pouring from the cream coloured coffee machine at the barista bar, and a market nook lined with shelves of specialty food items sitting artfully behind a carefully detailed fiddle rail. An exciting mix of textures, curved shapes, and playful signage define the material palette from glossy tiles and reflective antiquated mirrors, smooth leathers, counters, and tabletops, to shiny brass accents. On the outside, a twisting metal rod spells out the deli logo centred over the scalloped canopy that ties right into the deli’s branding.

Sloane Street Deli remains in line with its historical namesake street and retains cosy, retro elements through its colours, material palette and textures - subtly nodding to a nostalgic past. Easily transitioning from day to night, the deli is a celebration of community, friendship, family and most importantly, good food.

The team behind Sloane Street Deli is composed a young team of Middle Eastern women. Rawan Muqaddas, from Kuwait and Melis Ugurlu, from Istanbul.

Rawan Muqaddas started her career in New York, where she worked on various residential and hospitality projects in and around the city. After graduating from Columbia graduate school of planning and preservation in 2017, she is currently working on projects between New York, London and Kuwait.

Rawan is continuously inspired by contrasting schools of thought, and the many cultural narratives that have shaped our diverse contexts. Every project has its influences and constraints that become the most essential forces behind the work. Through discipline and collaborative exploration, the team looks to define a unique vocabulary for every space or object while experimenting with unconventional, playful materials, applying then rethinking traditional methods of making, and obsessing over details. Guided by curiosity, they look to the old and the new to create minimal and timeless spaces that evoke emotion; an ode to the past through their innate love for the rawness of simple things.