Des Gunewardena of D&D London
(Picture: Glenn Copus)The décor in Des Gunewardena’s most recent London restaurant opening is so fancy, even the plug sockets have a different shape to yours. They’re circular instead of rectangle. I presume it’s something to do with the lamps they’re using at Haugen in Stratford, because you can’t even see them hidden under discreet lids in the floor. It’s the kind of tiny detail that suggests Des’s former business partner, the late designer Sir Terence Conran, still has a touch of influence.
Think about it for a second: you want a specific kind of light in your restaurant but it has a weird plug. Instead of getting a different one, you change the wiring in the building. Why go through the trouble; or the cost? Who notices the lamps when they’re having dinner? The answer is: you would if they weren’t right. It has to be perfect.
