Cassette brings Paris bistro to Covent Garden gothic workshop

Cassette, a Parisian-style bistro, has opened in Covent Garden in London's West End. Design studio Gundry & Ducker renovated its interiors inside a nineteenth-century gothic building once used as a stained-glass workshop, according to Dezeen.

The building is Grade II-listed, a British status that gives legal protection to places of special historic interest. It keeps double-height ceilings and double-height windows behind an expansive glass facade with intricate detailing. That street front sets the tone. Step inside and you are in old London.

The site is large. It spans 1,151 square metres across a ground-floor dining room and a basement level, with room for 52 customers inside. An outdoor terrace seats an additional 30 guests.

Inside, the palette is dark and warm. Deep aubergine finishes run alongside dark banquette seating — long padded benches fixed to the wall — and classic bentwood bistro chairs, the curved-wood seats long linked with French cafes. Natural fabrics sit against sapele wood, a reddish African hardwood, and stainless steel. Exposed brickwork is left visible throughout.

The main dining area is wrapped by a statement curtain chosen for its acoustic qualities, meaning it helps soften sound in the busy room. The design nods to the surrounding theatre district, where heavy curtains are part of everyday life. Gundry & Ducker co-founder Tyeth Gundry said the treatment was developed with that neighbourhood in mind.

The restaurant was opened by the team behind Levan, the Peckham restaurant known for natural wine and seasonal cooking, as reported by Broadsheet.

What makes this stand out is the pairing. A small, 82-cover bistro feel sits inside a soaring workshop shell. French dining culture, but with Covent Garden light pouring in.