London department store Liberty has opened Arthur’s, a new restaurant that pays homage to its Arts and Crafts roots and larger-than-life founder.

Nick Leith-Smith designed the interiors of the 100-cover London restaurant, which serves Modern British fare, putting a contemporary twist on the Grade II-listed building’s interiors.

Arthur Lasenby Liberty founded his eponymous emporium in 1875, and its present Marlborough Street site was built by father-son architects Edwin T and Edwin S Hall, using the timbers of the HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan in the 1920s. These timber planes have been left exposed, and Leith-Smith has paired them with an Art Deco-motif wallpaper in vintage pink.

Scalloped banquettes are upholstered in tactile blue and green velvet, while semi-circular tables have warm brass trimmings – a detail picked up in in the marble-topped bar, which takes centre stage in the space and skirts around the restaurant.

Arthur’s is decked in handmade glazed tiles – a nod to Liberty’s association with quality handcrafted goods – which graduate from dark blue through to burgundy and soft pinks.

Other period-inspired furniture includes Thonet coffee house chairs and circular tables with white Italian marble. Copper pendant shades hang from the ceiling.

Arthur’s is open for brunch, cocktails and dinner, offering dishes including salmon poke and fishcakes, miso-glazed chicken and pickled mushrooms, and of course afternoon cream tea. It marks the completion of the year-long renovation of Liberty’s department store.

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