Peckham Palais nightclub reopens with "layered and atmospheric" interior
Architecture office Nikjoo and interior design studio Fare Inc have transformed a former department store in south London into a cocktail bar and events space featuring nods to the venue's heyday.
Located within a heritage-listed building that was constructed in 1897 as the Jones and Higgins department store, the Peckham Palais nightclub was revamped after being vacant for nearly 15 years.
Working for Nightlife specialist Night Group, architecture studio Nikjoo was responsible for adapting the derelict building into a multi-room cultural destination that reached modern acoustic and fire safety requirements.
Fare Inc oversaw the interior design, layouts, finishes and furnishings, which aim to retain a sense of the building's evolution while evoking the period when the original Palais nightclub was established in 1980.
"Our approach was not to erase what had come before, but to work with it, to preserve the details people feel connected to and allow the building's history to remain visible," said Fare Inc founder Annie Harrison.
"We wanted Palais to feel like it had always been here; layered, atmospheric and alive again."
Customers enter the building through a lobby and box office on the ground floor, where peeling plaster and chipped paint enhance the sense of faded glamour. The main venue is in the basement.
In contrast to the lobby's rough-and-ready aesthetic, the first-floor Ballroom bar displays a more refined sense of style informed by 1980s interiors.
"We explored a tonal yet layered design to ensure there was a polished look to the rooms," Harrison told Dezeen. "[The materials] "seem to have always been there, which makes them feel discovered rather than added."
The 270-capacity cocktail bar features deep-raspberry coloured walls, along with banquettes upholstered in leather and PVC that contribute to the warm and playful atmosphere.
Harrison introduced a statement bar with a backlit linen gantry and a stepped timber element at the top that recalls the original coving.
Integrated lighting softens the overall look and introduces an unexpected texture to the bar.
In order to maintain a connection with the past, the designers preserved the original windows, with their graffiti still intact, and maintained the original diagonal pattern of the flooring, adding slate tiles between some of the planks to create a patched-up feel.
The room's red hue changes as natural light entering through dual-aspect windows shifts during the day.
Different tones used for the walls, upholstery and tiled surfaces accentuate this dynamic effect.
"The tiles reflect the red brand signage, LEDs and natural light from the large windows," said Harrison, "ensuring surfaces reflect the low, soft lighting throughout the room and instil that after-hours, nightclub feel to the room."
The bar's counter and kick plates are made from aged zinc that will patina quickly and enhance the space's authentic, timeless feel.
The venue also features a 470-capacity nightclub located in the basement, where a bespoke five-way Funktion-One sound system will be utilised by local and international DJs.
Fare Inc was founded by Harrison in 2019 and works on projects in the hospitality and residential design sectors. The studio collaborates with specialist craftspeople to create elegant and tactile interiors with a unique sense of style.
London-based practice Nikjoo is led by Alex Nikjoo. The studio regularly works with old buildings, including its renovation of a derelict post-war home with added rear and attic extensions, and the transformation of a former chapel into an artists house and studio.
The photography is by Milo Hutchings.
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