• Launching an entirely new ‘Folded Pizza‘ concept in the UK
• Transforming a previous high street bank to an on-the-go artisan pizzeria

Introduction

The ifse team are thrilled to announce the opening of our recent design, build and fit-out project for an entirely new brand that is set on bringing the traditional taste of Sardinia to Twickenham high street, just a stone’s throw away from the national rugby stadium.

Working closely with a Twickenham-based Sardinian husband and wife with an extensive history in the food industry already, our team transformed an old high-street bank into a unique, exciting and vibrant quick-service restaurant that delivers mouth-watering folded pizza slices to the local community.

Brief

After finding what was previously a high-street bank, the client contacted ifse as a design, build and fit-out partner to bring an entirely new concept to the UK market. The initial proposal included stripping all banking infrastructure back to the original shell of the building, before redesigning and restyling the building to create a modern and unique British-Sardinian atmosphere.

With Sales Manager, Richard Smith and Head of Design, Sally Medina leading the project from start to completion, the team transformed the high-ceiling, two-floor property into a modern artisan Pizzeria offering the best of traditional, handmade Sardinian cuisine to an ever-crowded high street.

What ifse Did

Situated amongst a bustling high street in Southwest London, the ifse team workshopped the spacial design and concluded that the back-of-house space was suited to the lower ground floor. The commercial kitchen featured state-of-the-art electric equipment for dough preparation and a 48-hour fermentation process combining four different flours.

This is carefully combined with the baking and servery area of the artisan pizzeria on the ground floor, which boasts bright eye-catching neon logos, striking visual graphics and a group high seating unit overlooking the busy high street.

These bright and bold yellow notes are contrasted with strong black counter elements and are reflected across the entire frontage of the tall, grand building, helping to entice residents and visitors alike into the recently launched restaurant.

Dark green foliage is dotted around the restaurant and highlighted by a mixture of opaque and transparent low-hanging lamps, encouraging visitors to conjure images that are reminiscent of an Italian vineyard or garden.

Result

After starting a 4-month-long collaborative design period in mid-2021, and following a lengthy period of landlord works, ifse had 6 weeks on-site in total.

Opening at the very beginning of September, Alex and Michelle are now delighted with the launch of their incredibly unique artisan pizza brand, with the active local high street and dazzling signage providing plenty of footfall and a long list of happy customers.

Based on the success of their initial ‘Folded Pizza’ branch, the optimistic couple have plans to open more branches soon and bring this brand-new concept to various boroughs across London.

Richard Smith, the project lead said:

“We are privileged to be an essential part of the journey bringing this truly unique concept to the UK. Refurbishing a previous bank threw up a lot of challenges, but thanks to the support from the client and our great team, we were able to find this brand a suitable home within Southwest London”