e5 Cafe @ V&A Storehouse

Solid Douglas Fir cafe furniture, counters & shelves with stained birch plywood servery.

London Olympic Park - May 2025

A project to develop the cafe within the V&A’s new Storehouse building operated by the renowned London Fields bakery e5.
We were asked by Thing Studio to collaborate on the fit out of a small corner of the massive new publicly accessible storage facility of the Victoria and Albert Museum within Here East in the London’s Queen Elizabeth Park.

Working within the parameters of the existing shell fit out we adapted and appropriated elements of the existing birch ply V&A interior with green linseed stain (to match the colour of the original e5 bakery floor), and then added solid Douglas Fir furniture to add a much need warmth and sense of material tactility to what was a somewhat anodyne space.

New counter tops and table tops in solid Douglas Fir give a feeling of integrity and quality, and are intended to age gracefully and honestly in an environment of powder coated aluminium, galvanised steel and sheet plywood. Oiled surfaces can be resanded and repaired as necessary, and their fabrication uses minimal glues or synthetic coatings.

We designed pedestal tables specifically for the project, turning a cylindrical column base on our table saw, and fixing to painted steel circular bases, which sit comfortably between the Castelli chairs e5 sourced to match their original bakery cafe. The table tops are made from 5 staves and rounded on the corners and underside to add a softness and tactility.

Similarly we designed new bar stools for the window counter, opting for a straight forward 4 legged design, but with a nod to the cylindrical table column in its generous radiused leg section, and the seat edge underside.

The table and stools are now available to order upon request.

Photos by Jones Neville