Header: Gizem Coskun
Pezzo Donut is a small dessert shop in Camden Market, designed by Studio RUUM with Merve Iscan as lead designer and Burcu Dede on the team. The project, appropriately titled “A Sugar-Coated Escape in Camden“, is the winner of the “Interior Design Restaurant – Theme” category of the LIV Hospitality Design Awards.
The challenges of Camden Market
The shop is located inside the bustling Camden Market, a dense London food and retail area open since 1974, beside the Regent’s Canal. With more than 1,000 places to shop, eat, drink and dance, there is no room for a quiet shopfront look. Both the façade and the interior had to grab attention quickly and keep it, all while allowing people to order, wait and sit without blocking the work or inconveniencing other customers.
Fun, efficient and sweet
Pezzo Donut sells handmade doughnuts, Italian gelato, coffee, milkshakes and smoothies, with toppings and fillings in flavours such as pistachio, Biscoff, chocolate and glazed. The design was, then, specifically catered to this menu. Doughnuts, ice-cream cones, candy colours and display pieces were added into the room as part of the interior design, and the team was careful to ensure every aspect of the business was supported, even with all the colours and props around. The final result is a shop where customers can watch the bakers work, children can play and adults can sit with coffee, all while talking about the eccentric visuals of the place.
The layout of the store is divided into ordering, waiting and seating zones. The counter area holds display cases and equipment, while the customer side is built around café tables, stools, lounge chairs and a long bench. That bench runs along one side of the shop and offers guests the chance to enjoy an informal seating area where they can socialise and enjoy their purchases, while the small round tables and stools form a more intimate sitting area.
The iconic electrical supply box
The main challenge of this project was an electrical supply box that served the whole street. It could not be moved or removed, of course, so Studio RUUM had to find a way to work with it. In the end, it was turned into the main object in the room. A giant donut sits on top of it, acting as a marker for passersby, while one side of the box has a spin-to-win game and the other has become a magnetic wall where visitors can leave their own messages.
Pastels and ice cream drips
In the realm of colours, some are immediately linked to doughnuts, ice cream and sweets, and the designers made sure they were used. Yellow, pink, orange, purple and rainbow tones cover the store, all complemented by a dripping effect: a yellow wall drops down over pink tiled panels, and the purple ceiling is broken by white drip-like shapes. Orange lounge chairs, a rainbow arch and pastel details offer the final detailing.
Props for everything
The props are large; they definitely weren’t made to be missed. Giant doughnuts, wall-mounted donut pieces, donut cushions and ice-cream cones make this store a sweet wonderland, acting as markers inside the small space.
These shapes are even used in the lighting design, as donut pieces on the yellow wall give off a fun glow. As extra light, the pink arched wall panels glow at the edges, and light strips were placed inside the rainbow arch. Pendant lights hang above, retaining the same confectionery shapes seen everywhere else, from the walls to the hands of the customers.
Project information
Company: Studio Ruum
Lead Designer: Merve Iscan
Other Designer: Burcu Dede
Construction Company: Enbuild Construction
Location: Camden Market
Date: 17/03/2025
