Ice cream in winter? Hell, yes. That’s what The Dreamery’s co-founders Alex Young and George de Vos must have thought when they unveiled their latest venture, an artisanal ice cream parlor and wine bar nestled on North London’s Halliford Street, in early December 2024. And who can blame them? If there’s a time for indulging your sweet tooth and enjoying a drink or two, that’s certainly Christmas. So it’s no surprise that the recently inaugurated hangout has already become a favorite of the bon vivant London community.
While The Dreamery’s extravagant selection of ice cream flavors — ranging from evergreen classics like Mint Chocolate Chip, Fig, and Custard to festive editions such as Christmas Pudding and Gingerbread — and pairable wines are enough to entice most visitors to the bar, for us, its interiors are the real deal.
Similar to the immersive design of the best London restaurants, this quirky addition to the British capital’s hospitality scene speaks to our desire to break free from everyday conventions, letting us into an Alice in Wonderland-like, fascinating fantasy world.
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Located within an imaginatively reinvented 19th-century building, minutes away from Goodbye Horses and Day Trip (Young and de Vos’ restaurant and coffee shop, respectively), The Dreamery instantly reminded me of the flickering dancefloor of the John Travolta-starring classic musical drama film Saturday Night Fever (1977) — just turned upside down. Seen from the outside, its boxy industrial façade might seem rather anonymous, but all it takes is for its lights to come on to reveal an intimate, whimsical dimension.
Created to host up to 20 guests by the Young-co-founded Ltd Ltd multidisciplinary design team in collaboration with Studio Bates Rai, The Dreamery gives disco décor a splashed-in-color upgrade. As visitors move past its doorway, they are immediately absorbed in a rainbow-hued atmosphere. This is largely courtesy of artist Lucy Stein, whose British folklore and mythology-informed craft graces the ice cream parlor’s timber- and Japanese Unryu rice paper-paneled ceiling. Look up, and you’ll notice how her expansive, hand-painted murals, rendered in zestful natural motifs influenced by St. Ives Modernist pioneers Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, and as surreal as Georgia O’Keeffe’s canvases, are the true protagonists here, though undoubtedly in good company.
At the heart of the space is a sculptural stainless steel bar that, serving as both the ice cream and drink counter, prompts guests to mingle around it, making the location inherently social. But The Dreamery’s retro-fueled nightlife feel isn’t the only thing aspect of it to scream 1970s: ingeniously pairing mirrored walls and chrome metallic accents with hand-crafted pale pink and blue cement tiles, the bar is, at once, beautifully nostalgic and futuristic. With timeless Art Deco nods, including stunning ‘crowned’ glass sconces, incorporated into the design, it makes the ultimate meeting point for foodies with a soft spot for eccentric Parisian style décor.
(Image credit: The Dreamery. Design: Ltd Ltd and Studio Bates Rai)
Still, The Dreamery is more than a fanciful place to spend time with friends. Just like its sibling enterprises Goodbye Horses, where Stein’s skillful artistry is on show as floating tapestries alongside wooden flared-leg furniture and a vinyl-powered vintage sound system, and Day Trip, in which a love of bistro-style interiors is poured into one of the best cafés in London, it also — and quite literally — reflects some of today’s most prominent design trends through its all-over mirrors.
The location’s tasteful collection of silver serveware and old-style ice cream cups, for example, winks at the 70s dinner party revival that has shaken up the interior industry in the second half of 2024, also endorsed by the impressive edible installations of culinary artists like Imogen Kwok.
Beyond its sleek food and drink presentation, though, The Dreamery, with its iridescent backdrop and interactive setup, embodies the spirit of what Livingetc‘s editors have previously dubbed as the age of playfulism (Livingetc Issue Summer 24): a time — our time — when designers are more and more inclined to embrace their practice as an opportunity to “lift your spirits”, conceiving functional pieces and interiors that, whether because of their exaggerated shapes or their soul-soothing essence, feel as otherworldly and inspirational as they are comforting.
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This, of course, isn’t a coincidence. At its core, The Dreamery “is about escaping the mundane,” explain the co-founders. “It’s a place where the familiar feels unfamiliar, designed to spark joy, create new memories, and remind us to embrace life’s little pleasures.” A wonderland where everyday worries cease to exist, it “encourages guests to embrace a sense of fun, and perhaps even throw caution to the wind”. New Year’s resolutions, anyone?
Visit The Dreamery at 20a Halliford Street, London, United Kingdom N1 3HD
6x6cl Vintage Létang Rémy Ice Cream Cups
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2-Pack Metal Cheese Knives
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Set of Two Silver-Tone Dessert Coupes
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