Ethereal Lighting Charms Guests at Gordon Ramsay’s Restaurant 1890

Offering guests and diners exclusive, contemporary fine dining, Gordon Ramsay’s exquisite new restaurant at The Savoy delivers an unforgettable dining experience like no other.

In keeping with The Savoy’s spectacular setting in the heart of London, Restaurant 1890 has been impeccably designed by the highly acclaimed interior design company, Russell Sage Studio. Having built a reputation for creating unique interiors for five-star hotels, exclusive members’ clubs, premium restaurants, luxury bars and private residences around the world, Russell Sage Studio has transformed the former private dining room of The Savoy Grill into a contemporary yet timeless and charming restaurant within this iconic hotel.

Complementing Restaurant 1890’s unique and elevated dining experience, professional lighting design consultant Victoria Jerram was appointed to illuminate this exclusive venue, which seats just 26 guests across ten tables for supper only. The ambitious brief requested that the restaurant emulated the notion of dining within a jewellery box, and thus the lighting design was curated to encase the room in a sparking glow.

Victoria Jerram worked closely with the makers of the bespoke feature ceiling and wall lights to achieve the desired lighting quality with the right colour temperatures while, at the same time, ensuring there were no visible light sources. Attention to detail was paramount and all 17 rechargeable table lamps were gelled to ensure the colour temperature complemented the rest of the space. Throughout the project there were several integrated lighting details that required careful consideration including the illuminated wall panels, a custom cheese display which featured back-lit gold eglomise panels, as well as the luxurious walk-through wine displays.

As with any lighting design project, there were challenges along the way. In the initial design concept, it was vital to consider the bright lights of the Savoy Theatre opposite and how this would impact the lighting at Restaurant 1890.  With this in mind, various lighting films were explored and blinds were incorporated into the restaurant’s interior design to ensure the bright lighting from the theatre did not impede on the restaurant’s own lighting. 

Founder, Victoria Jerram explained: “This was a fascinating brief and an opportunity that I relished! Working alongside Russell Sage Studio on this iconic project, and seeing Restaurant 1890s continued success, has been truly rewarding. The bespoke lighting design was intended to contribute to the overall guest experience and this intimate space which embraces rich, golden hues, undoubtedly adds to the unforgettable experience for those enjoying this culinary masterpiece.”.