Modern History

At the United Coffee House Rewind gastropub in Noida, Zeppelin Design Environments LLP combine colonial charm with a modern aesthetic, offering a fresh take on the 70-year heritage of its flagship, New Delhi's legendary United Coffee House.

- Nicole Newby

Founded in 1942 at New Delhi’s Connaught Place, the swish United Coffee House has long been a haunt for bureaucrats, businessmen and artists who congregated amidst its colonial interiors over a leisurely cup of in-house coffee blends and extensive food menu that today includes Raj era staples as well as popular dishes from the ’30s to the ’70s. Over 70 years since its inception, the legacy of this United Group flagship has now made its way to the burgeoning satellite city of Noida in a decidedly modern avatar — the United Coffee House Rewind (UCH Rewind) gastropub, located at the DLF Mall of India.

“The client wanted a reinterpretation of the brand that would make it more relevant to this day and age. He also wanted to preserve some of the nostalgia that the flagship restaurant at Connaught Place enjoys,” says Som Sengupta, founder and director of Delhi-based firm Zeppelin Design and Environments LLP, who was approached by United Group owner Akash Kalra to execute his vision. Zeppelin Design and Environments LLP is a New Delhi-based multidisciplinary strategic design studio with an integrated team of branding, design and engineering professionals. Their system-led approach to design enables them to integrate both interior and brand design for a holistic solution that’s in keeping with their clients’ requirements.