Holy Carrot, Spitalfields: Faye Toogood’s Sculptural Take on the Bistro

In Spitalfields, Faye Toogood has reworked a new outpost of Holy Carrot as a contemporary bistro—pared back and materially direct. Set within a former bank on the edge of the historic market, the project takes its cues from both context and kitchen: a plant-led menu translated into a palette of linoleum, canvas, tile, and wood, heightened through sculptural gestures and painterly interventions.

Working in her characteristically cross-disciplinary mode, Toogood layers the utilitarian with the expressive. Honest materials—wire, paper, canvas—are treated with a degree of reverence, set against a historically inflected palette drawn from Spitalfields’ Georgian surroundings. Running the length of the room, a hand-painted mural by Toogood—figures entwined with oversized mushrooms—anchors the space. Part dreamscape, part still life, the design shifts the room from a daytime canteen to something more immersive by evening. The effect is tactile and assembled, balancing raw and refined with a quality that feels both improvised and exacting. Here’s a look:

Photography by Ollie Tomlinson for Faye Toogood.

For more from Toogood, see our posts:

• Design Luminary Faye Toogood’s Family-Friendly Minimalist Apartment
• Plump and Reassuring: “Functional Yet Sculptural” Homewares by Faye Toogood