Marc and Joelle Cullender gave up the daily grind of the London commute and advertising life to fulfil their dream of running their own deli. Starting with smaller local branches, this is now their third location: a deli/kitchen with 40 covers, offering everything from morning coffee, cakes, hot and cold lunches, plus a wine bar with delicious deli platters in the evening – while also still functioning as a deli counter and general store.
Cullenders occupies a prominent high street location and it was important that the cafe reflected its locality – to be 'Reigate' not 'London'. Bold graphics, signage and an eye-catching striped awning gives the deli a strong street presence, but with a sense of establishment.
The new venture has gone from strength to strength offering monthly pop-up restaurant evenings with exciting chefs such as Maxwell McKenzie, and has teamed up with a local wine vendor to open in the evenings as a wine bar. They also offer private bookings for events and parties, which are proving very popular.
The interior is flexible and welcoming, transforming effortlessly from the morning hustle and bustle of a general store to a relaxed space for afternoon tea or lively evening drinks. Visitors are greeted by a light-filled space, where warm timber floors combine with shelves and panelling in shades of slate green and grey, to create a strong backdrop for the products.
Local photography submitted by customers lines the walls, adding interest and a sense of community. Carefully sourced items, such as the reclaimed church pew below the front window, provide quirky elements and a relaxed feel.
Central to the design is the food and produce itself. Shelving runs from floor to ceiling, providing varied spaces to neatly display deli groceries – including wines, cheese, charcuterie, olives and chutneys – while emphasising the full height of the shop.
Cakes and pastries are displayed on cake stands and baskets on the counter and shelves, with olives in Mediterranean bowls and cheeses on slates within the fridge counter. The open kitchen hatch peeps through the shelving at the end, where you can see the chefs at work preparing the days delights.
Come the evening the lights dim low and the candles come out, along with changing menus, local beers and an exciting wine list.
Working with The Vawdrey House on all of our design projects has been an absolute joy. They have great ideas and vision and can see how things should be when I can't see the wood for the trees! If the future holds more shops then we will not hesitate to call The Vawdrey House again.
Photography by Siobhan Doran Photography
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The Vawdrey House is a multi-award winning RIBA Chartered Practice which offers a dynamic combination of bespoke design, strategic thinking and creative flair. We bring both architecture and interior design together to create unique, beautiful spaces which work for you from the inside out.
Our clients are always at the heart of our ‘top to toe’ design approach.
We work closely with you from the outset, leading you through the design stages, providing support at each stage and following everything through so that even the smallest details are considered and refined.
This is what we believe makes a great design even better.
Whether for a refurbishment or new build; a residential or commercial space, we take the time to get to know you, understand your requirements, and find clever, exciting solutions to your brief.
Our design-led, holistic approach means we always asses how the whole building works and how it is used. We explore functional and layout changes to improve the way the spaces work together. We design the exterior architecture, internal layouts and all the interior design right down to the lighting, fittings, furniture and accessories.
Working across London, the South East and beyond, we have a wealth of experience working with complex sites and period buildings with heritage protection. We approach each project with a combination of creative vision and sensitive pragmatism; always searching to get the very best from a building.
Directors Jennifer Hamilton, Graeme Montague and Ian Chapman have a combined experience in the industry of nearly 70 years. Together with our strong, enthusiastic team of architects and designers, we bring an invaluable level of professionalism and creativity to the design and management of your project.
The Vawdrey House has an exciting portfolio of inspiring spaces and happy clients. We are passionate about what we do and most of all, want you to love it too.
Close affiliations with brand consultants plus graphic and web design teams mean we can also provide a fully coordinated scheme for your retail or business space, down to website, menus or signage, whatever is required.
We work closely with you throughout, following everything through to the smallest detail, and helping you through the process.
We are design-led, and like to review the way the whole building works, understanding how you use the spaces and suggesting functional and layout changes to improve the way the spaces work together. We design the exterior architecture, the internal layouts and all the interior design and fittings, right down to furniture and accessories.
We progress the design in stages, working up the outline usually with a multitude of options in the first instance, then gradually firm up the scheme as you clarify which direction you want to go in.
Once we have the overall scheme in place we work into the detail and start to specify every element, ending in a production package incorporating everything you need to tender and construct the project.
We can also manage the entire process for you, putting together the project team, gaining planning consent and party wall awards, finding contractors, tendering the works, managing the building contract and monitoring the works on site.
We stick with you to the end, ensuring all snagging is resolved, and produce a completion pack with all necessary certificates, guarantees, maintenance and supplier contact info so you have everything in one place.
Have a browse through our latest projects and see the end results!
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