Case Study: Stannah Platform Lift Spices Up Access to Old Bombay Ambience

A Stannah people-moving platform lift is welcoming mobility compromised patrons to Dishoom Kensington, a London restaurant that rekindles the cosmopolitan romance of Irani cafés in 1940s Jazz Age Bombay. 

Opened in November 2017 and located in the Grade II Art Deco Barkers Building, Dishoom Kensington is the sixth member of the much-loved family of restaurants that pays homage to Bombay’s old Irani cafés. 

Filled with original period and bespoke pieces, this atmospheric venue calls on its access lift to escort people of all mobilities, from bag-laden buggy-pushers to wheelchair users, between ground-floor entrance to the bar / dining room with its Bombay comfort food and live jazz.  

Does the platform lift mirror Dishoom’s carefully curated design? Naturally…

The customised (by others) ebonised-and-maple landing doors and lift interior blend flawlessly with their surroundings. Lighting comes courtesy of an Art Deco ceiling lamp that illuminates not only the interior but also an open-top view, up through the lift’s own enclosure—a shaft integral to the lift package that makes the lift flexible to locate, quick and easy to install and aesthetically easy to tailor. The light itself operates on an energy-saving timer.

Hydraulic drive is space- and cost-efficient and offers superior lifting strength; and maximum user reassurance comes from the simple-to-operate control console, grab rail, non-slip floor, intercom and automatic emergency lowering feature.

Stannah worked in partnership with the main contractor, Interiors UK—the renowned interior architecture and design studio Macaulay Sinclair—whose Associate Director, Ian Roome, comments:

“We specified the Stannah Midlift for Dishoom Kensington based on user history, with similar lifts installed in their Manchester and Edinburgh restaurants. It’s a cost-efficient lift that fulfils the project’s brief—and has been relatively straightforward to customise to our requirements.”

UKCA marked and Machinery Directive compliant, the disabled lift also ensures that Dishoom’s owners meet all industry standards— the Equality Act 2010 (formerly DDA) and Part M Building Regulations.

As with all Stannah lift products, this lift has the added benefit of four maintenance visits in the first year (and regular servicing thereafter)—part of a lift-servicing plan delivered by London and the South East (Dartford) branch of Stannah Lift Services, a nationwide network providing comprehensive lift servicing and support.