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Award-winning London-based design practice A-nrd Studio has unveiled the reimagined interiors of Applebee’s, a longstanding and beloved Borough Market institution known for its seafood.

At 25 years old, Applebee’s is one of the market’s longest-standing restaurants, and the newly completed space reflects its deep connection to the site’s heritage with a palette and language that feels authentic, rooted and elevated.

With a design brief that called for a space that felt both timeless and transportive, A-nrd approached the project with a deeply contextual lens, creating an interior that honours the building’s legacy while introducing a refined, contemporary edge.

In designing Applebee’s, A-nrd looked to the architectural character and atmosphere of the historic Borough Market itself, responding to the surrounding textures, tones and materiality of the locale. The result is an almost cinematic interior – one that feels wholly integrated with its surroundings and thoughtfully woven into the fabric of the market.

“Applebee’s has such a strong connection to its site,” says Alessio Nardi, founder of A-nrd. “It was important for us not to impose a new identity, but rather to excavate and elevate the character already there – to work with the building’s natural rhythm and texture and draw from the market’s soul.”

Upon entering the 40-seat restaurant from the street via dark oak bi-folding doors, the intimate and atmospheric interior reveals its design cues from traditional southeast London fishmongers and classic seafood restaurants.

The restaurant’s L-shaped layout encourages discovery while maintaining a sense of convivial intimacy, with the spatial arrangement conceived to support both casual and formal dining. The entrance opens to a bar-height seating area, while traditional dining tables fill the central zone, and a more secluded area lies beyond. Custom bench seating, bespoke booth designs and a mix of stools and dining chairs reflect A-nrd’s commitment to layering form, function and personality.

Seeking to bring a sense of warmth and familiarity to the space, the interior is grounded in a palette of natural oak, exposed brickwork, and warm limewashed stucco walls – establishing an honest and tactile base that is elevated through subtle detailing: square mosaic tiles, antique mirrors, terrazzo accents and soft lighting. Each space has its own atmosphere, but all are tied together by a cohesive material language.

The heart of the restaurant is the open kitchen counter and cocktail bar. Known for their highly bespoke concepts, almost all of the furniture at Applebee’s was designed specifically by A-nrd for the project. The counter is clad in light stone-coloured limewashed stucco with a neutral-toned terrazzo countertop and subtly detailed dark oak trim skirting the base. Taking direct inspiration from Borough Market’s architecture, the detailing nods to the market’s façade, grounding the space in its locality.

Framing the illuminated bar area, soft buttery beige square mosaic tiles from Solus and custom oak shelving bring a fresh brightness, while the open fish counter proudly showcases the catch of the day. The use of mosaic tiles was chosen as a nod to the original interior of Applebee’s, which when it first opened featured wall mosaics. Reimagined by A-nrd in a more refined and integrated way, the tile is now incorporated within the joinery and as a subtle backdrop to the bar area. Counter seating at the bar for six features matte black steel bases and teal blue leather upholstery by Crest – adding a bold pop of colour to the refined palette. Functional yet atmospheric spot lighting defines the open kitchen and bar zones.

Opposite the kitchen counter, a row of three high-level bespoke tables lines the honey-toned stucco walls, which are finished with oak borders to echo the counter’s materiality. Crafted from terrazzo with dark oak framing, the tables seamlessly connect to feature wall panels. Here, A-nrd designed antique mirrors bordered with mosaic tiles and set within oak frames add depth and movement, creating pockets of reflection that shift with the light and rhythm of service. Lighting here plays a key role in softening the space, with wall-mounted retro-inspired lights from Felix crafted from antique brass with sculptural bone china shades mounted on oak panels lending warmth and a moody glow. Bar chairs with integrated backrests, crafted from black steel and upholstered in matching teal leather, complete the scene.

At the rear of the restaurant, stucco walls give way to exposed brickwork painted a soft beige hue and left raw. This more formal dining area features terrazzo-inlaid square tables – a design detail repeated throughout the restaurant to create visual cohesion – paired with oak and cane dining chairs featuring tan leather seats and gently softened lines with a subtle mid-century nod.

Inset into alcoves, curved custom benches made from oak, cane and teal leather mirror the forms and materials used elsewhere in the space. An extended kitchen counter seating six overlooks the live fire grill and kitchen pass, enhancing the theatricality of the chef-led counter service and dining experience. Daily specials are displayed on a traditional chalkboard, while a bespoke elongated mirror – reminiscent of those at the front of the restaurant – hangs opposite, flanked by vintage mid-century pill-shaped wall lights in bronze and opaline glass.

In the design of Applebee’s, A-nrd strikes a confident balance – a celebration of local identity with a contemporary point of view. It’s a space where heritage meets hospitality, tradition meets taste, and the past and present merge seamlessly. A-nrd has successfully breathed new life into one of Borough Market’s most established names, creating something that feels both familiar and fresh.

“Designing Applebee’s was about rediscovering what was already there – the history, the market, the energy of the kitchen – and framing that in a new way,” comments founder Alessio Nardi. “We didn’t want to overdesign; we wanted to create an environment that felt true to the food, the team, and the market itself. Something layered, honest, and full of warmth and character.”