Flashes of neon pink, acid yellow and lime green furniture shine from a first-floor terrace in Southwark, London, bringing a zinging taste of sunnier climes to a nondescript street of offices and apartments. They are the first signs that, after almost 10 years without a home since its Covent Garden base closed down, the Africa Centre is back – with a bang.
Step inside the black-painted brick building and you find an unexpectedly warm world of sandy clay plaster walls, carved timber furniture and woven light-fittings, where metallic beaded curtains and rows of arches frame dining platforms and cosy seating nooks. Alluring fabrics cover the cushions, while perforated blocks line the restaurant counter and seating booths, recalling the brise-soleil screens of modernist architecture on the African continent.
