Commercial Signwriting London – Comptoir Gourmand, Soho
Traditional Signs Of London was commissioned to produce commercial signwriting in London for Comptoir Gourmand during the fit-out of its former Soho premises. Working with the business owner and design team, the project involved painted fascia lettering and reverse-painted glass branding, accurately reproducing the company’s supplied designs across two very different surfaces.
Painted Fascia Signwriting
The masonry fascia had already been prepared in the client’s chosen deep blue finish. Full-size paper artwork was produced by Traditional Signs Of London to translate the supplied design accurately onto the building.
The words Comptoir Soho extended across the frontage between the existing lamps, combining the company’s established lettering with script used to identify the Soho location.
The white lettering required two coats of matt signwriting enamel to achieve an even, opaque finish against the deep blue background.
Reverse-Gilded Glass Lettering
Additional branding was produced on the main window using a supplied lower-case sans serif design arranged in an arched layout. Again, precise full-size artwork was prepared specifically for production on site.
Working in reverse on the internal face of the glass, the white lettering was painted first and allowed to dry before a matt 23ct gold leaf cast shadow was added using traditional oil gilding.
Each completed character was then given clear protective varnish.
The combination of white lettering and understated matt gilding provided a distinctive finish while remaining consistent with the wider interior and exterior identity.
Reproducing the Work After Unexpected Damage
The completed window was unfortunately smashed the following day and required replacement. As the original production artwork had already been disposed of, new full-size artwork had to be prepared before the entire glass design could be reproduced.
The replacement lettering and gilding needed to match the original precisely while being accommodated at short notice within an existing work schedule.
It demonstrates an important aspect of specialist commercial signwriting beyond the finished lettering itself: accurate preparation, responsive project management and the ability to deal professionally with unexpected changes during a commercial fit-out.
Traditional Signs Of London provides commercial signwriting in London for contractors, designers, property owners and businesses, including painted lettering, glass signwriting and traditional gilding.
Visit our Specialist Signwriting page or Contact us to discuss a project, or email info@traditionalsignsoflondon.uk.