Opening 22nd September 2020 in London, Pantechnicon is a celebration of contemporary creativity and craftsmanship that explores Japanese and Nordic cultures through food, drink, retail and design.
The new hub on pedestrianised Motcomb Street, Belgravia, is at the heart of the Grosvenor Estate and a five-minute walk from Knightsbridge. Behind the original London heritage exterior is a raw warehouse interior, now filled with stores, restaurants and bars across five floors of experiences.
New Concept Stores
The Edit on the ground floor showcases a curation of 150 Japanese and Nordic brands including handcrafted gifts and products, from designer tech and ceramics to outdoor equipment, footwear and fashion accessories. The Studio on the first floor brings together a wider range, including a selection of beauty products from Bijo, whose mission is to introduce Europe to the Japanese wellbeing lifestyle.
First brands announced for The Edit and The Studio include tokyobikes in collaboration with Pantechnicon; accessories from cult Danish label Aesther Ekme; fragrances from Swedish perfumer 19-69; Japanese homewares from Kaikado; bags from Porter Yoshida and jewellery from Shihara. Further exclusives to Pantechnicon include Katriina Nuutinen (design pieces) and Antipast (accessories), Suicoke (footwear) and Tom Wood (jewellery) and Dane Erik Schedin’s minimally-designed sneakers.
The first floor also houses a large experiential space where guests will be introduced to emerging brands, artists, creators and makers through workshops as well as retail and dining pop-ups.
Sakaya is an immersive bar and boutique bottle shop tucked away on the east side of Halkin Arcade with a selection of hand-crafted Japanese barware, spirits and wines featuring whisky umeshu and sake selected by Sake Samurai, Natsuki Kikuya.
New Dining Destinations
On entering the building, guests are welcomed into Café Kitsuné, the first permanent outlet to open in the UK from creative duo, Masaya Kuroki and Gildas Loaëc.
Overlooking Café Kitsuné and The Edit is an intimate but open gallery space hosting Little Sachi (meaning ‘happiness’ and ‘fortune’ in Japanese), a 30 seat pop-up for lunch and dinner with a menu co-curated by Nancy Singleton, author of Phaidon’s ‘Japan’. The gallery pop-up is a preview of the mainstay 100 seat Sachi restaurant, bar, cocktail lounge and street terrace on the lower ground floor restaurant, opening Spring 2021. At the same time, the takeaway kiosk will open serving seasonal specialities typically enjoyed in the likes of Tokyo and Helsinki.
On the second floor, inspired by the dining scene across the Nordic regions, is Eldr (means ‘fire’ in Old Norse), a 70 seat restaurant with seasonal menu inspired by traditional cooking methods; pickling, foraging and cooking with fire. On the third (top floor) is a 130 seat bar and dining roof garden, an all seasons. space with a fully retractable electric glass roof. The garden is designed by Finnish horticulturalist and garden designer, Taina Suonio.
The Nordic kitchen team is led by internationally trained Finnish Head Chef Joni Ketonen. The Nordic cocktail menu will change seasonally, curated by bartenders-in-residence from award winning bars and restaurants from Iceland to the Faroe Islands.
A 21st Century Concept
Pantechnicon was built in 1830 as an art and crafts centre (Pantechnicon derives from the Greek words Pan ‘all’ and Techne ‘craft and art’) before being turned into an upmarket warehouse for local residents to store finds from their travels around the world. It was then that the building’s horse and carriages used to transport furniture were given the name Pantechnicon. And so Pantechnicon entered the English dictionary, and the eponymous removal lorries still exist. With respect for its heritage, today Pantechnicon has been sensitively repurposed to meet the needs of the 21st Century.
Barry Hirst, co-founder of Pantechnicon and Open House: “Everyone has an appetite for exploration, adventure and new experiences. We are a group of people who share a passion for travel, culture and hospitality. Together our mission is to have fun creating a platform for new creative talent from Japan and the Nordics and to share our discoveries with everyone, all in one place. Both cultures have a lot in common including their geographies, their relationship with nature and their passion for simplicity and functionality in design.”
