White-painted facade and entrance of Goodbye Horses pub in De Beauvoir Town, London

Leopold Banchini crafts Goodbye Horses pub from a single oak tree

Rafael CunhaINTERIOR23 hours agoShort URL

Leopold Banchini Architects has shaped Goodbye Horses in London around a ten metre bar made from a single oak tree, pairing vernacular craft with references to Japanese Mingei and the English Arts and Crafts movement.

A pub built around a single oak

Set within an old brick building in De Beauvoir Town, Goodbye Horses is conceived as a neighbourhood pub with a distinctly handmade character. The design considers how local craft, natural materials and cultural exchange can inform a contemporary interior without turning tradition into decoration.

Low oak bar and timber seating inside Goodbye Horses pub — A low oak bar and timber seating establish the pub’s intimate scale. © Rory Gardiner.

Interior of Goodbye Horses pub with an oak bar and hand-painted hessian curtains — Hand painted hessian curtains wrap the room and filter daylight. © Rory Gardiner.

The room is organised by a low oak bar that stretches for ten metres and works simultaneously as counter, kitchen bench and dining table. Its unconventional height keeps the space informal and allows activity on both sides to remain visible.

The bar and surrounding furniture were made from one mature oak tree. Rather than removing its irregularities, the design preserves the grain, bark, fissures and changes in colour across the trunk. Butterfly joints and carefully resolved connections make the timber’s history legible.

Close-up of the solid oak bar showing natural grain, cracks and butterfly joints — Butterfly joints stabilise fissures while preserving the oak’s natural grain. © Rory Gardiner.

Custom oak shelving and furniture framed by painted hessian curtains — Custom shelving and furniture continue the project’s hand built language. © Rory Gardiner.

Oak bar supports finished with dark volcanic stone feet — Volcanic stone feet protect the bar’s oak supports. © Rory Gardiner.

Material memory and handmade surfaces

Custom stools and lights extend the material palette through Japanese hemp fibre paper, hand cast Italian glass, volcanic stone and oxidised brass. These elements bring together rustic English joinery, Japanese wabi sabi and more ornamental European references within a single, deliberately eclectic room.

Long view through Goodbye Horses pub alongside the ten-metre oak bar — The ten metre bar extends through the long, narrow interior. © Rory Gardiner.

Detail of an oak table beside softly pleated hessian curtains — An oak table sits beside softly pleated hessian curtains. © Rory Gardiner.

The existing brick walls are finished with limewash and roughcast, while hand textured lime plaster softens the ceiling. Underfoot, a beaten earth floor made from soil, straw and clay is sealed with linseed oil, recalling the construction of early countryside pubs. Reclaimed Yorkstone is used in the garden and in areas exposed to heavier traffic.

Dining area and long oak bar inside Goodbye Horses pub — The dining area gathers around custom oak furniture. © Rory Gardiner.

Oak stools and lighting against limewashed brick walls — Oak stools and lighting contrast with limewashed brickwork. © Rory Gardiner.

Large hessian curtains painted by artist Lucy Stein wrap the interior and filter daylight with the intensity of stained glass. Drawing on British folklore and mythology, their imagery gives the pale room a shifting edge of colour while reinforcing the project’s dialogue between regional memory and contemporary culture.

Close-up of interlocking solid oak joinery used for custom furniture — Interlocking solid oak joinery expresses the craft behind the furniture. © Rory Gardiner.

Project Credits

Project: Goodbye Horses Pub
Location: De Beauvoir Town, London, United Kingdom
Design firm: Leopold Banchini Architects / @leopoldbanchini
Carpenter: DiSe
Artist: Lucy Stein
Photography: Rory Gardiner / @arorygardiner
Year: 2024