Cement, concrete and black steel merge to form the Brutalist-inspired interiors of this Sri Lankan restaurant in Soho, London, which Dan Preston Studio has dotted with tropical details.
Paradise ? which formerly housed another eatery ? is located on Soho's busy Rupert Street and measures just 51-square-metres.
Designer Dan Preston was asked by the restaurant's owners to refurbish the space and create an interior that recalls the urban bistros seen in the Sri Lankan cities of Colombo and Galle, and their dusk-til-dawn food culture.

Preston's eponymous design studio looked to the brutalist architecture of Colombo for inspiration and the work of modernist Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, as well imagery of the country's luscious rainforests. "Bawa's architecture, although in material contrast to its surroundings, seamlessly embraced its environment," Preston told Dezeen.
"Soho doesn't have so much tropical forest for surroundings, but we thought a reference to the outdoors, a subtle, softer garden experience was important to incorporate within the design," he continued.
"The use of hand made tiles, exposed brickwork added to this idea."

Walls throughout the restaurant are finished with micro cement and the floor is lined with black tiles. The ceiling has been covered with a limewash-style paint and fitted with a series of Iroko-wood beams, mimicking the roofs of Bawa's buildings.
In keeping with the urban theme, the furniture and fittings are...