Interior Architecture and Design.
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Co-founders and Directors
John Macaulay & Mike Sinclair.

Mark and Sara Colley,
Owner & Operator
The Curlew Restaurant

'We first met Macaulay Sinclair at The Restaurant Show 2008. Over the last year, we have watched them transform a coaching inn that was falling apart into a stunning new restaurant turning heads across the county. During The Curlew build and beyond, Macaulay Sinclair displayed incredibly deep and diverse knowledge of the design and build process. Put simply, without their contribution, The Curlew would not be the charming and engaging modern British bistro we are proud to call our own.'

Mark Cribb,
Owner & Operator
Urban Reef

'In Macaulay Sinclair, I have been fortunate to work with a company who do more than just design. Throughout the build, Macaulay Sinclair repeatedly showed a deep understanding of every element of our business. The result is a product that not only looks spectacular but one that has every chance of being a resounding commercial success.'

Danny Potter,
Owner
inamo

'Mike Sinclair and John Macaulay worked very closely with us on the inamo st james project. As a company they both added great value with their ideas and took on board our visual requirements and desres. We love the designs that Macaulay Sinclair produced and their aesthetic is second to none. The materials sourced, layouts produced and understanding of space and form were outstanding. We hope to work with Macaulay Sinclair again once the success of inamo st james allows us to look to open a third restaurant!'

Will Beckett,
Owner
Hawksmoor

'Macaulay Sinclair has designed a unique, considered and dramatic space that contains real wit, imagination and invention. But, more than that, Macaulay Sinclair's contributed to the stuff that's not immediately visible. They understood and developed our brief, took the project in directions we could not have predicted and took real pride and ownership in what they were doing.'

Taking cues from nature's organic structure, pattern and composition, we delivered a pan-Asian environment which stimulated, excited and integrated inamo's unique technology.

Overhead, an inverted Giants Causeway incorporates projectors, carved circulation routes echo rock striations; sculptural red sandstone covers walls; illuminated semi-precious stones frame the frontage; bamboo canes grow unabated; and rich green and deep red onyx coruscate throughout.

Using references to Hawksmoor Seven Dials' C17th brewery heritage, turn-of-the-century gentlemen's clubs, we delivered quiet confidence, intelligence and informality.

Parquet flooring from Christie's, reclaimed London Underground tiles and scuffed old laboratory table tops have previous lives figuratively and literally etched into them - quirky, iconic design meets understatement.

At Urban Reef, we designed a cohesive, destination restaurant, decked external terrace, bar, café and deli outlet.

We took Fifties' references and colours, materials and laminates and mixed them with punchy visual cues from the British seaside.

The result is a vibrant social hub at the home of Europe's first artificial surf reef.

This timber-framed 17th Century former Coach Inn was formerly three co-joined buildings which we opened out into one coherent space.

We went for soulful, understated design, rural chic, city and country brushing shoulders, formal food, informal dining.

The Curlew has since earned a Michelin star, becoming one of the country's most-talked about new places to dine.

We have delivered multiple locations that each balance brand building with designs sympathetic to their surroundings, heritage and trading conditions.

Birmingham's basement is inspired by New York’s underground cabaret bars. The former bank at London Moorgate has service-style. open counters and kitchens. Manchester's market quarter prompts brisk trade. Hoxton, a former jazz club, oozes intimacy.

Branding is the big picture, the wrapping. It encircles and encases your business 'package'. Branding ties together every one of your business' elements and communicates them to your target audience. As an holistic design agency, we work hard to understand those elements and deliver a clear, compelling message.

Understated style, quality, informality, The Curlew on the East Sussex / Kent border welcomes to its nest a part of the country's more affluent demographic. The Curlew's grown-up offering needed seamless messaging. We directed graphic design to iconographise the rare British bird - to develop an elegant, fluid and assured image and materials to reflect The Curlew's dining, service, location and interior.

Young, trendy, an exciting place to be and eat with three different paced offerings, branding had to be impactful, vibrant and diverse while satisfying Geishas' obvious sensuality, heritage and opulence. Geisha's brand umbrella covered sumptuous, tactile fabrics in the restaurant, delicate plum blossom in the bar and restrooms and a vibrant mosaic of leaping carp in the club.

Sourcing excellent produce from around the world, Flores, Portuguese for flowers, was designed to appeal to a feminine, mid to upper market demographic. Visually, we developed a bouquet of ingredients; the 'flowers' include mussels, green beans, mushrooms and fish. In the spirit of sharing, pre-launch, we asked customers to tell us their perfect dinner guests, post-launch created at-table conversation pieces.

Urban Reef was created to respond to and take cues from its locale (beachfront) its customer base (an edgy surfer community who demanded green credentials and ingredients) and its building heritage (post-war). The offering (and subsequently the branding) had to be snappy and upbeat while familiar and authentic. Bar, deli, restaurant and café offerings tied together in one brand.

inamo St. James, the pan-Asian, interactive restaurant that opened in December 2010, has been nominated for a coveted Restaurant & Bar Design Awards in the category 'Best Independent Restaurant' and 'Best Lighting'. The nomination builds on our 2010 RABD Award for Urban Reef. The RABD Awards are in their third year.

Hawksmoor's new home, Hawksmoor Guildhall, is located at 10-12 Basinghall Street, in the heart of Old London. The site will 'reflect the heritage and tradition of the City'. Guildhall will open in October 2011 and feature 160 restaurant covers, 75 bar covers, and 22-seat private dining room. Guildhall will also feature a walk-in wine room big enough to conduct tastings of the much-extended wine list, and London's first dedicated Port enomatic preservation system.

Working alongside The Oxford Hub, we're designing the café bar at this focal point for Oxford University students. The Oxford Hub is a place for students to meet, eat and drink but also for them to access and investigate local, national, or international charitable, volunteer and socially entrepreneurial activities. It's a place for students to go for training and information on a range of social and environmental issues, events and careers.