It might be hard to be believe, but this small coffee shop in London used to be a public toilet. London designers Pete Tomlinson and Ben Russell recently transformed the space into a hip new haven for coffee lovers. The 1890 Doulton & Co urinals of the Attendant were carefully cleaned and converted into a seating bar, while original payment windows are still being used in a new capacity.
The Attendant serves not only coffee, but has breakfast and lunch menus, serving food seven days a week. It provides protection from the elements to passersby and offers a place to sit in the outside area. The original ironwork cage still defines the exterior of the coffee shop. The age of the ironwork could be seen in the 18 layers of paintwork that has been applied since it was constructed in the late nineteenth century. Because of the layers, it took nearly ten months for the workers to restore the structure to its original condition.
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The landlord converted part of its interior into a design studio in the 80s. It was boarded back in after only six months. The architects collected vintage lamps from Los Angeles, Mason Jar Lighting from New York and worked with the carpenters to bring the space to its current state.
