SAMBAROOM,
Heron Tower, London
SAMBAROOM is the cocktail bar and lounge on the 39th floor of Heron Tower, with London laid out beyond its windows. At its centre is a curved bar, and beneath it a bespoke stainless steel underbar finished with a brushed brass service rail.
Client
Sushisamba London
Location
Heron Tower, London
Our scope
Underbar
Completed
March 2024
Interior design
Fabled Studio
Photography
Michael Franke
The brief
Sushisamba has long celebrated the meeting of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian culture, and in 2024 it opened SAMBAROOM alongside its restaurant at the top of Heron Tower. Fabled Studio designed the 2,500 square foot space with mid century Brazilian interiors in mind, in walnut, copper and deep red, beneath a gilded canopy and a reflective ceiling.
The bar is the centrepiece of the room, round in form and set against the view of the city. Sushisamba wanted an underbar that would follow that shape exactly and deliver fast, polished service without breaking the line of the curve.
Designed for the curve
A curve is one of the most demanding shapes to work behind. Standard units are made square, and set along an arc they leave gaps and awkward corners that slow a bartender down and turn them away from the guest.
Because we work fully bespoke, the underbar was drawn to follow the line of the bar precisely. The stations sit naturally along the curve rather than against it, and every unit meets the next without dead space.
Designing the workstation
Across roughly 2.9 metres, the stainless steel underbar brings together two cocktail stations, a flat preparation counter and two Calabrese™ shaker sinks, with shelving, panels, bins and doors built in beneath.
Each element is placed to give the team an ergonomic, efficient workspace, so they can move freely through service and keep their attention on the flair, the theatre and the cocktails that guests come for.
Cocktail stations and Calabrese™ shaker sinks along the curve
The brushed brass service rail and stainless steel underbar
The bar and back bar with views across London
The curved underbar, with glass storage, ice well and speed rail following the line of the bar
The stainless steel underbar is paired with a brushed brass service rail that follows the full curve of the bar. Its soft, warm finish picks up the light of the city and the ceiling above, and ties the working surface into the warmth of Fabled Studio’s interior.
On the backfitting we added a stainless steel cabinet with bin flaps, two slim jim bins and a black handwash sink with its own tap and soap dispenser, keeping everything a busy bar needs out of sight but within reach. The bar was installed in March 2024.
“On a curve every millimetre counts. Getting the stainless steel and the brass rail to sit perfectly to the line of the bar, 39 floors up, is the kind of install the team really enjoys.”
Sean Hamblin, Head of Install, Cantilever