A beautiful half-timbered building with an art deco ground level-façade is now housing Novi, a new place to go out in central Cambridge. Occupying all three levels of the house, Novi contains an espresso bar during the day, and a cocktail bar with pop up kitchens at night.   

Each floor is designed so there is a continuity throughout the three levels but each space is given a different treatment. “The inspiration for the project came from various different points”, tells interior designer and stylist Louisa Grey: “The client was keen on leaning towards the industrial style and we at House of Grey favored the Danish interior. So it seemed appropriate to combine these two whilst adding jolts of detail to the scheme. I have worked in Denmark and I am very inspired by the pared back but considered design that is produced in Denmark.“ 

The ground floor is the main bar area and is aimed at the day to day relaxed attitude of the space. The color scheme is simple and delicate with grey, rough plastered walls, polished concrete floor and low, high-backed sofas, also in grey, designed by House of Grey. Partitions designed as windows with black painted steel frames ensure the soft and generous level of daylight. 

The table tops are Carrera marble and the guests sit comfortably in the black painted CH36 chairs, with seats of natural paper cord, designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1962. At the ground floor one can also choose to sit at long tables designed for the social dining aspect of shared plates. The black painted CH36 goes beautifully with the untreated wooden table tops.   

On the first floor, reserved for private dining, one wall is covered with black painted wooded panels which together with the long sofas in deep olive colored velvet, create a contrast to the marble tables and the natural fir floors. At this level the black painted CH46 and CH47 chairs are chosen with armrests: “These chairs are created slightly wider than the average chair and are blissfully comfortable,“ says Louisa Grey. 

The lounge area on the top floor, the designers created with black wood walls and low velvet sofas and low square tables made with tops in various sorts of marble. The green laminated wood chairs, designed in the late 60s, are mixed with the elegantly light and comfortable lounge chair, CH25, in black with paper cord in black. “We designed the vibrant green velvet seating to complement the Carl Hansen & Søn lounge chairs by designing the seating lower than standard banquette seating. This is the floor that you never want to leave as the lighting is low level and the materials used complement each other,“ Louisa Grey says.