Meg Rivers: Hybrid style for retro cakeshop and café

My friend Dora Leonard suggested me to Julian Day who runs the Meg Rivers Bakery in The Cotswolds. Dora was styling a café he was opening in Lapstone near Chipping Campden. The look is bright, friendly retro, and the graphic style adopted by the bakery lends itself, without too much stress to a 50s treatment. Originally my illustrations were accompanied by captions in a typeface they used: Clarendon Bold, recognisably of a time, but never having been out of favour.

I did a few exploratory attempts using some figures from the Reasonably Happy Families, and  Sullen Bike Messengers databases I've accrued over the years, and gave them a look of having been coloured press cuttings. Just the job, I thought. Well close, but no macaroon...

Dora said. 'Make sure you're not too urban, mix your people with some nice painting...'

Yes, Mum.

Anyway, she was right, I blew up some splashy watercolours I did while mooching round Chipping Campden, and these became the wall graphics. If you're nearby, or even if you're not, the café and cake shop are well worth a visit.