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Shades of pink and red are key to the interior at Doña, a cocktail bar in London’s Stoke Newington that wears its feminine heart on its sleeve. The bar, which opened in October for two months, is inspired by 1920s jazz bars, with a splash of Mexico provided through the cocktail list that’s heavy on the mezcal and some of the imagery used throughout the space.
The most striking aspect of the bar is in its use of colour, with shades of pink used across the bar, in a feathered trim and in the fringed, pastel pink lampshades that hang from the ceiling. Lucie Massey, co-founder alongside Thea Cumming, told OnOffice, “We went with the colour scheme of red and pink because we wanted to create a warm space. And we chose really feminine aesthetic references like flowers, tulle on the bar like a ballerina etc as we wanted to repossess and champion traditional notions of femininity; quite literally, owning it.”
The name Doña provides a clue to this ethos, with it being the feminine form of ‘Don’, a male title in Spanish. Each night the bar hosts live music, often with a focus on female performers, particularly in jazz, and the intimate space is designed to call back to historic speakeasy style venues.
Massey, who designed the space with Eleni Mettyear, described the inspiration as “Mexican bodego crossed with 1920s jazz club” and said the art and décor used was a “total ode [to] and celebration of the feminine.”
The interior is also a celebration of friends and family, with much of the artwork and décor on display created by close collaborators. “Most of the art on display is by female friends and relatives. My best friend and cousin Maddie Yuille painted the mural, my mother made the sculpture that sits on the bar, Eleni’s work is displayed on the walls as well as a print by my good friend Helen Ralli. There is also a piece by Paul Wright, an artist from one of Helen’s recent exhibitions at her gallery Hart Club,” says Massey.
Even the furniture has a personal connection, with some of it sourced from the owners’ homes, and the rest found in charity shops and at car boot sales. The result is a bold, eclectic space that’s a world away from the streets outside.
All photos by Pasco Photography
The Stoke Newington bar combines feathers, fringing and charity shop finds for a unique look
