Nora restaurant brings Anatolian warmth to London's Canary Wharf

Ola Jachymiak Studio has unveiled the Nora restaurant in the heart of London's Canary Wharf financial district.

Located within the Allies and Morrison-masterplanned Wood Wharf expansion, Nora was conceived as a counterpoint to the area's typically polished hospitality interiors.

"Rather than producing another chic, polished restaurant typical of the Canary Wharf area, our aim was to craft something more vibrant, characterful and cool," Jachymiak told Dezeen.

"The space is intended to evoke warmth from the moment guests enter. It is as if stepping into someone's generous, slightly theatrical home."

The London-based studio renovated the entire interior from the ground up as three separate units were merged into a single, continuous space.

According to Jachymiak, this proved to be "both uncertain and exciting" as the studio aimed to avoid creating "an expansive and soulless hall".

Instead, the studio created an open, unified environment, avoiding heavy partitions to delineate the space and anchored by essential operational components.

This includes seating for over 100 guests, staff areas, restrooms, open kitchen and bar which serves as the space's main anchor point.

With these key anchors in place, Jachymiak focussed on subtle spatial distinctions to further zone and humanise the three hundred-square-metre interior.

Nora's material and colour palette was built around warmth and softness, driven by what Jachymiak determined would be "a mid-century sensibility" as its core design language.

Tan-coloured zellige tiles cascade down in between the generous floor-to-ceiling windows while the ceiling's earth-toned glossy finish gently reflects light and movement.

"Mid-century vocabulary provides a sense of clarity and calm that we felt was essential in such a large, active restaurant," she explained.

Oak wood was used to create warmth and depth. It was used in the wall panelling, bar elevation, as well as the furniture and joinery – the latter all custom designed by the studio and produced by specialist team And Wood Craft.

Arranged in an intentionally irregular pattern, a series of ceiling spotlights were wrapped in bespoke spotlight tubes, produced in collaboration with Argot Studio, to add a touch of sculptural flair to Nora's ceiling.

With its mid-century vocabulary, Nora's Anatolian influence emerges more subtly in the softer layers of chairs, rugs, and the upholstery details – echoing the sensory richness of Istanbul's markets and domestic interiors.

The combination of mid-century profiles with Anatolian textiles and tactility afforded Jachymiak the ability to subtly imbue Nora with its spirit whilst avoiding "a literal interpretation of Turkish design".

"Textiles are able to carry more expression without tipping the interior into pastiche," she added.

The studio previously completed the orange-hued interior of Beam cafe for the same clients in west London.

While sharing similar design principles – namely the primacy of comfort and hospitality, clear visual anchors and warm lighting – Nora, represents what Jachymiak describes as a "more mature and atmospheric evolution" of this approach.

Nora's design-led approach complements a nearby Dishoom restaurant, which features an interior designed around a "financial fraudster from the 1970s".

The photography is by Ben Leigh-Anders.

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