Function + Form at the Dean Street Café

Dean Street Cafe | Nina and Co

A few weeks ago I joined a group of design bloggers and Instagram friends at the new Dean Street café in Soho for an inspiring gathering organised by We are Function and FormIt’s a lovely space, nestled inside a building first designed in 1686 by Sir Christopher Wren and it’s also where the homelessness charity Centrepoint first began its work 50 years ago.

Over a delicious breakfast we enjoyed an uplifting talk from the project’s interior designer Nina Woodcroft and learned how she designed this flexible space to accommodate the charity’s weekday functions and to neatly transform into a café on Saturdays and Sundays, allowing maximum use of this historic building. Sustainable materials have been used where possible – the joinery is reclaimed English oak or birch ply from sustainably managed forests – and the overall effect is light and soothing. I loved the pale aquamarine pegboard walls and the fun neons, and the sweet little terrace at the back is an oasis of calm in the heart of Soho.

The social café will provide training and experience for young people supported by Centrepoint, enabling them to gain skills that will help them into employment. Meanwhile Nina is currently working on another social enterprise project – the Luminary Bakery, a bakery and café project in Stoke Newington that will offer opportunities for vulnerable women to build a future for themselves and their families through baking. She also recently launched her debut tableware collection. The Breakfast Collection is available at Nina and Co and a beautiful special edition mug is available exclusively at At the Table.

Huge thanks to Annie and Tiffany for organising the event and to Centrepoint for hosting us.

Dean Street Cafe | Nina and Co

Dean Street Café | Nina and Co

Dean Street Café | Nina and Co

Dean Street Cafe | Nina and Co

Dean Street Café | Nina and Co

Dean Street Cafe | Nina and Co

Nina + Co | Dean Street Café

The Dean Street Café is open on Saturdays and Sundays at 54 Dean Street, London, W1D 6AE. The space is also available for event bookings. 

Photography © Anna Stathaki

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