As bespoke design engineers, Hythe Engineering never shy away from the less ordinary. A recent star-studded industrial-style decor project for a brand-new London wine bar definitely falls under this category.

Actor, DJ and producer Idris Elba has embarked on an exciting venture to open a wine bar, Porte Noire, in London’s King’s Cross. He’s taking on the challenge alongside his business partner, David Farber, founder of Connaught Wine Cellars.

Read on to find out about how Hythe Engineering first got involved with Porte Noire and all the work that went on to complete the project.

The Porte Noire Industrial-style Decor Project

The Porte Noire bar is an extension of Idris and David’s existing Porte Noire Champagne and rosé brand that launched in 2018. The venue boasts ‘one of the largest fine wine tasting rooms in London’.

Porte Noire got in touch with the Hythe Engineering team looking for bespoke planter boxes that would be on display at the front of the bar. The project request was for the planters to have a modern, industrial look and feel, to complement the bar’s rustic-meets-contemporary interior.

“We’re really excited to be bringing a slice of continental hospitality to London this autumn. Since launching our brand Porte Noire, we have seen some incredible reviews of the product and we’re looking forward to creating a space to match.” 

– David Farber, Porte Noire, speaking on the extension of the brand and launch of the wine bar

Creating the industrial-style decor planters involved mostly Hythe Engineering metalwork capabilities. The team worked from a set of supplied drawings which they used to shape, measure and weld the boxes. Working closely with David Farber of Porte Noire and Timothy Block of London Wine Cellar, the HMS team successfully completed and installed the planter boxes.

To complete the project, the team used their welding, fabrication, and plating capabilities. To help diversify their skills, two Hythe Engineering apprentices were involved throughout the project.

The Project’s Challenges

In their initial designs, Porte Noire was looking for the planters to feature one single pane of curved glass. Unfortunately, this design would’ve led to a major expense and a much longer timescale. With the launch date fast approaching, this was not an option. The compromise was to instead use three panes of glass, which both the client and Hythe Engineering were more than happy with.

Of course, large metal boxes aren’t particularly easy to manoeuvre. Particularly in busy Central London! The installation brought up some issues for the team. Most notably, there was no way to get a crane in to lift the boxes into place. The team solved this issue by delivering as close as they could to the venue, then using specialised lifting trollies to physically lift them into place.

The Wins

Although the company was born out of the marine industry, working on varied projects like this one provides a multitude of benefits for the business. It keeps everyone’s creative juices flowing and keeps them on their toes which in turn ensures their skills stay sharp. Working on a variety of projects also gives apprentices more opportunities to get out into the world and see what their careers may bring them.

The client is more than pleased with the work of the team at Hythe Engineering, and as a result, is in touch about future potential projects.

Speak with our team to discuss your next project.