We are proud to reveal a new tablecloth and napkin collection designed alongside our friends at The River Cafe. The collaboration is the culmination of a 25-year bond between our co-founder June Summerill and Ruthie Rogers of The River Cafe and was designed, ultimately, in celebration of each and every friendship nurtured around the dining table. The result in our eyes, perfectly fuses the restaurant's inimitable style with the modern sensibility of Summerill & Bishop.
We're very excited to bring this bold and brilliant new addition to you - we hope it inspires plenty of colourful conversation with family and friends in your home and at your table.
With love,
S&B
xxx
[ At the table with Ruthie Rogers ]
Ruthie has been a dear friend of Summerill & Bishop for many years. Working with her and The River Cafe team has provided a joyous source of inspiration, with many mouth watering moments in between meetings! It was a great pleasure to shoot on location at The River Cafe (where else?!) and sit down with Ruthie as she kindly answered a few of our questions...
Q. What inspired you to open The River Cafe? What were your dreams for the restaurant when you started?
A. We opened when Richard Rogers Architects converted and moved their offices into the warehouses of Thames Wharf. The aim was to create a community of architects and designers with a place to eat. Rose and I fell in love with the site and dreamed of a restaurant where we could cook the kind of food we ate at home with our family and friends in Italy.
Q. Where does your passion for food and cooking come from?
A. My family and Richard's family. His mother was a great cook from Trieste and Florence.
Q. In what ways has running The River Cafe exceeded your expectations?
A. The joy of working with a team of people so intelligent, energetic and kind has been inspiring.
Q. The interior design, menu art and overall look of The River Cafe is inimitable - what inspired you?
A. The industrial environment, the river, bright colours and transparency.
Q. You've been friends with June for many years - how did you meet and how does it feel to collaborate together now?
A. I fell in love with June the minute we met in the River Cafe in 1994. We do so much together in our personal life so it is amazing to work and create something together.
Ruthie Rogers and June Summerill, at La Colombe d'Or sometime after dinner, 2017
Q. Just like Summerill & Bishop, The River Cafe was founded by two women at a time when industry was typically male dominated. Do you have any advice for women wanting to start their own business?
A. Have confidence.
Q. Finally, we have to ask, what pieces from S&B are you coveting at the moment?
A. The La Colombe d'Or tablecloth and everything else!
