A glimpse of Notting Hill!

interior

This week You! takes a look at the beautiful interior of a newly opened restaurant in Islamabad...

The unique charm of London’s picturesque Notting Hill is not new to anyone, thanks to Julia Robert’s movie ‘Notting Hill’. While tourists from all across the globe flock to Notting Hill for the carnival in August every year, its charisma is captivating throughout the year. Where else could anyone find pink and mint green huts with chic windows and funky doors? Interestingly, a newly opened restaurant in Islamabad, ‘The Butler’ seems to be inspired by Notting Hill - giving residents a glimpse of this beautiful district of the British Capital.

According to Asad Khan Niazi, owner of The Butler, “I have been inspired by many things while setting up this cafe. This was my first project as an interior decorator and I used my inspirations from previous travels. European architecture and the facade of cute little huts and villas in the South of France and small towns of Italy have particularly inspired me, which reflects in the exterior.”

The exterior is attractive and seems like a dream house with a beige exterior and cute little mint hued windows like in the Disney movies. Every window has a small balcony with plants in it, which add a lot of character to the exterior. Cane and wooden chairs on the outside just make the whole ambiance perfect for an evening coffee or an early morning breakfast in the sun.

On why he chose mint green, a rather unique shade for the exteriors, Asad says, “I like to base my designs on simplistic and basic colours. Green and white are two of the five or six colours that I like to work with, but we had to mix many colours to create this specific shade of green.”

The interior is vintage yet chic and reminds you of those afternoon tea cafes in London. The heavy wooden floors and dark wood panels on the walls catch your eye as soon as you enter. There is an antique looking stairway on one side and shelves filled with books. The tall lamps in the corners light the interior while the delicate crockery and vintage frames, clocks and decoration pieces add to the European feel of the place.

It is interesting how every minor detail has a thought process behind it. The brick walls seem to be a major part of the cafe’s interior. The entire place has a lot of woodwork as well. According to Asad, “I believe that if the placement of furnishings is just right then they work in favour of the place. Natural bricks have this quaintness to them. They are warm, welcoming and homely and a restaurant needs to be all that.”

“Wood much like bricks are natural materials and remind one of nature and culture. They also never go out of style and keep growing on you,” he adds. 

Regarding the inspiration behind the interior, Asad tells, “The woodwork is inspired by old libraries in London, the floral tapestry comes from old English culture as well. The vintage antique pieces and the old clocks have been handpicked from the most ordinary places because I believe we often find amazing things in the most ordinary places.”

Nowadays, books have become a prominent feature at a lot of cafes. However, unlike most places, books are a sensible addition to The Butler. They complement the old British library feel of the space. “Fortunately, the book reading culture is growing in Pakistan again and the idea was to allow people to come in for a cup of coffee and enjoy a company of a book if they are not with friends. We have seen people borrowing books and bringing in new ones to add to the cafe’s collection,” he states.

The rooftop is another prominent feature of the restaurant. Primarily because it has Margallah Hills, which are Islamabad’s most beautiful asset, as a backdrop. The rooftop takes the vintage feel to an entirely new level with cane and wood chairs, brick walls, mint green doors and windowpanes along with natural seasonal plants. However, the highlight is a bright yellow scooter that sits on the rooftop. “The scooter originally came to make the roof look like a street in Europe and I personally thought that kids visiting the place would really enjoy it. To my surprise guests ranging from the ages of 10 to 60, love taking pictures sitting on it. It has become the selfie Vespa for all age groups now,” enthuses Asad.

As far as the food is concerned, they have a wide selection of menu ranging from breakfast items to main courses including burgers, sandwiches, pastas and a delicious afternoon tea with floral vintage crockery to please your taste buds and aesthetic sense at the same time. What more do you want? Don’t forget to visit the place, the next time you plan an outing!