Bringing a new destination to an icon of the London skyline
Joia (‘jewel’) is two-Michelin starred Portuguese chef, Henrique Sà Pessoa’s first London outing, with interiors by Russell Sage Studios, set in the new destination Art’otel yielding astonishing views over London’s Art Deco icon, Battersea Power Station. Nelson Associates’ role was to create a distinctive identity and full design programme to signal Joia’s artistry and ambition and to complement the mid-century glamour of Sage’s restaurant, bar and rooftop design.
Set in London’s most highly anticipated recent opening, Art’otel London Battersea Park blurs the lines between art, product and design, every detail created by acclaimed Spanish designer, Jaime Hayon, Joia is sister to Sà Pessoa’s first restaurant outside Lisbon, Arca, Amsterdam. Having already created the brand identity programme for Arca, Nelson Associates’ new design scheme for Joia needed to bring synergy, while referencing Joia’s iconic location.
A strong brand energy was fundamental to bringing all the elements together. For synergy in marques, we took the ‘A’ of Arca and created a new typographic expression of bold simplicity; balanced and emblematic. Our graphic language was drawn from Battersea’s iconic chimneys. But instead of focusing on the building’s landmark silhouette, our concept was inspired by the idea of journeying up the chimneys, spinning upward to the light at the top. Applied across three levels, home to Joia Restaurant, Joia Bar and Joia Rooftop, we created three individual chimney wallpapers for each, which, along with the floor to ceiling windows and epic views, root Joia in an unmistakeable sense of place.