I’ve shared my love of design studio Nina+Co’s stunning interior and ceramic works before.
So I was delighted when she got in touch this week to alert me to her latest venture: a new social enterprise café, Luminary Bakery. Located on a quiet back street in London’s Stoke Newington, the venture is in collaboration with local community charity, Kahaila Women’s Projects. With the kitchen already operating successfully as a wholesale bakery, supplying many London external cafés and businesses, the community café has now opened it’s doors to the public, with a view to being open 7 days a week from late August 2017.
Luminary grew from Kahaila Women’s Projects as an innovative response to the need for support for women with social and economic disadvantages. Through baking, women are taken on a journey to employability and entrepreneurship, equipping them with transferrable skills to use in the working world.
Aiming to break generational cycles of abuse, prostitution, criminal activity and poverty, Luminary offer courses, work experience and paid employment within the bakery, empowering women to build their career and a brighter future.
Nina has designed the café to offer to be a home-away-from-home for the bakers and customers alike, with the kitchen and café evoking a stylish family home pieced together from objects old and new. The spacious setting has been conceived with accessibility and young families in mind, with flexible furniture enabling the space to adapt to workshops and other events, in a similar manner to the design of her previous social enterprise café venture, Dean Street Café.
Working to an exceptionally modest budget Nina+Co have carefully curated a selection of second hand furniture, donated items and thrifty details, including adapting vintage madeleine baking tins to make delicate bespoke wall lights and old jelly moulds to make mini pendant lights – clever, huh?
As testament to the power of the project, a wonderful array of British manufacturers also showed their generosity. In particular; iconic English furniture manufacturer Ercol who generously donated the handmade, black lacquered loveseats and stacking chairs, and stone experts Diespeker & Co, who supplied stunning counter tops, cut from their premium terrazzo that incorporates waste products from the marble industry that would otherwise be discarded.
There were also donations from UK glassware manufacturers LSA International, and British fabric weavers Camira, who donated the fabric selected for the deep, comfy bench seating.
Hands up who wants to join me for coffee and cake here next time I’m in town..
→Luminary Bakery, 71-73 Allen Road, Stoke Newington, Hackney, N16
All photography © Anna Stathaki for Luminary Bakery, used with permission.
10 Responses
Definitely have to make a visit here! Love that it’s not only beautiful but that it’s helping empower women. Love the madeleine lights!
Love, love, love it!!! Gorgeous design, social enterprise, cake…and the generosity of the companies who donated all the beautiful pieces! What a great project! Coffee and cake next time you’re in town! :-) xo
What a fantastic idea, often these things (social projects) seem so complex. Until someone just does it making it look so simple.
Nina is so damn talented! Love this design and I’m sure to visit this place.
Me! It looks very welcoming. Love that fabric skirt round the counter! x
What a wonderful project. I love the ethos behind this beautiful bakery x
Oh what an amazing project – not just beautiful but also making such a difference. What a powerhouse Nina is! Love how generous so many British manufacturers were as well. Wonderful xxx
A great list with some of my favourites there too. Fantastic.
Sounds amazing. Will have to check this place out.
London is always a good place to visit. Nice article. Excellent way of presentation.