The designer David Collins died last night. The man, responsible for some of London's most iconic (and beautiful) restaurants passed away after suffering from skin cancer. The news will come as a terrible shock as the designer, Vogue reports, was only diagnosed three weeks ago.
Among the restaurants his company David Collins Studio worked on over a quarter century in the business were Claridges Bar, Nobu Berkeley, J Sheekey and The Connaught's bar. "We are shocked and saddened by the passing of David Collins, an incomparable talent in the world of interior design and a longstanding friend of Maybourne Hotel Group." a spokesperson for the hotels told Hot Dinners. "David has made a significant contribution to our hotels and will leave a lasting imprint on our design legacy. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all those that knew and worked with him."
More recently Collins had a very successful collaboration with Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, working on their newer restaurants Cafe Colbert, Brasserie Zedel and The Delaunay. His studio was also responsible for The Gilbert Scott and the very recently opened One Canada Square in Canary Wharf.
An interview with the designer appeared just yesterday on GQ.com in which he credited his success in the field of restaurant design to one particular conversation. "Michael Caine's wife, Shakira, once said to me, 'David, women want to look good in restaurants. Forget about the food, forget about the service - women just want to look good.'"
Reaction on Twitter has reflected the unexpectedness of the designer's untimely death. "An extraordinarily fab man and brilliant restaurant designer," said the Independent on Sunday Editor Lisa Markwell. "Terribly sad and sudden," tweeted the Guardian's Marina O'Loughlin. "He was such a sweet, subtle, amusing man too. What a loss," said the Standard's Fay Maschler. "A Gentleman who really put restaurants on the map! God bless & thank you," tweeted Gordon Ramsay whose flagship restaurant Royal Hospital Road was first designed by Collins.
A statement issued by Jeremy King and Chris Corbin this afternoon detailed the longstanding relationship between them and Collins. "David understood restaurants so much more intuitively than almost any other interior designer and we like to think he produced much of his best work for us, primarily because, as he said himself, he enjoyed a rigorous collaboration," they said. "We often disagreed but we always knew that whenever we insisted on our solution he would gracefully comply and then enhance our ideas!"
They go on to give an insight into the designer's extraordinary work ethic saying: "Even when the plaudits were ringing in his ears, it was never reassurance enough for him. Unlike many of his peers he continued to fret, tinker & change long into the life of a project – a kindred spirit to ourselves. Ironically we have in our office a painting personally owned by him that was awaiting collection – it had hung at Delaunay for 18 months – that is how much he cared…"
"David has left a great legacy including the team of young designers that he trained and nurtured over the years, who themselves have gone on to create great works."
As for us, we've enjoyed the fruits of David Collins' work for years. His work on the bar at Claridges heralded a new era in restaurant and bar design for London, giving it what would become his trademark look of modern luxe while respecting the heritage of the buildings and spaces he worked in. Although the designer himself didn't drink, we plan to raise a toast to his astonishing legacy with a drink in one of the beautiful London bars he designed.
