Upon entering Goodbye Horses, visitors are met with an immediate sense of tactile immersion. The pub’s original brick walls are adorned with limewash and roughcast, while the ceiling is finished in hand-textured cork, lending the space a sense of warmth combined with an acoustic softness. Underfoot, a beaten-earth floor of clay, straw, and linseed oil evokes the utilitarian simplicity of early countryside pubs, subtly connecting guests to the building’s history.

The space's focal point is undoubtedly the ten-metre-long wooden counter. Crafted from a single oak tree, the sculptural piece stretches across the room, doubling as a bar, kitchen counter, and communal dining table, its raw edges and visible grain lending the space a quiet monumentality. Surrounding this central axis are bespoke stools, light fixtures, and furniture, crafted with an alchemist’s palette of materials: think oak, Japanese hemp fibre paper, Italian hand-cast glass, volcanic stone, and oxidized brass.

Cornwall-based artist Lucy Stein animates the space with hand-painted murals featuring pastel hues and Marc Chagall-esque motifs, including a horse and half-moon—Goodbye Horses’ emblem. Adorning floor-to-ceiling hessian curtains and a luminous rice-paper light fixture above the central bar, her vibrant explorations of British folklore and mythology meld past and present while poetically evoking the coloured translucency of stained-glass windows from bygone eras.

The sensory experience extends beyond sight and touch to sound, with an audiophile-quality quadraphonic system designed by Izaak Gray. Perfectly restored vintage Tannoy Lancaster speakers envelop diners in an eclectic soundscape of vinyl records selected daily from an extensive 4,000-strong library. Against this sonic backdrop, Head Chef Jack Coggins delivers a weekly rotating menu of sharing plates that champion seasonality and sustainability. From Sardines on Milk Bread to Oxtail Ragout Broken Rice, each dish reflects a playful yet refined approach to modern British cuisine, perfectly paired with an ambitious selection of natural wines curated by Wine Director Nathalie Nelles.

Goodbye Horses’ romantic sensibility continues in the adjoining pour-over coffee shop Day Trip, featuring a small seated bar that offers views into the wine bar as well as access to a lush garden retreat. Designed in collaboration with Ji-Hae Hwang, an environmental artist and garden designer, the garden features a five-metre stone bench, quiet alcoves, and an oasis of verdant flora, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor transition. Reclaimed Yorkstone slabs and mature trees add layers of texture and tranquillity, further underscoring the project’s commitment to sustainability and natural beauty.

In a city as vibrant and ever-evolving as London, the two venues offer a refreshing antidote to the frenetic pace of urban life. The finished project provides a location where design, art, and gastronomy coalesce into an experience that is as thoughtful as it is transportive in what can only be described as a love letter to craftsmanship, community, and the enduring power of good design.