Sisters Ellie and Zara Pickles grew up in hospitality, with their parents successfully operating The Pyewipe Inn. After studying hospitality and design management in Switzerland and gaining experience at prestigious London venues including The Mayfair Hotel, The Londoner, Firmdale Hotels’ Number Sixteen, and The Arts Club, the sisters set out to create their own concept.
A Japanese Restaurant & Premium Cocktail Bar
Sisters Ellie and Zara Pickles grew up in hospitality, with their parents successfully operating The Pyewipe Inn. After studying hospitality and design management in Switzerland and gaining experience at prestigious London venues including The Mayfair Hotel, The Londoner, Firmdale Hotels’ Number Sixteen, and The Arts Club, the sisters set out to create their own concept.
In 2021 Ellie and Zara launched Cognito, a restaurant and cocktail lounge offering a 50/50 mix of Japanese and British cuisine set within a stylish, contemporary interior.
Shortly before opening, Zara approached KCM for urgent assistance with a key design element, a feature backbar display to showcase their premium spirits and complement the venue’s interior design.
KCM’s bar design specialist, Steve Palmer, quickly elevated the enquiry to top priority. Working closely with Zara, he developed a 3D design proposal based on her brief and and a swift site survey.
The result is a bespoke installation featuring three black powder-coated backbar display gantries with glass shelving, designed, quoted, fabricated, and installed in just four weeks from concept to completion.
Incognito: Opening Up the Roof Top
Following the success of Cognito, the sisters turned their attention to the upper floor of the building, an unused space with a retractable roof and views of Lincoln Cathedral. Their ambition was to create Incognito, the city’s only rooftop cocktail bar, with its own distinct identity, separate entrance, and curated cocktail menu.
In January 2022, Ellie and Zara again approached KCM, this time for a full design and build service covering the entire bar area. The scope included the construction of the main bar counter, fabrication of bespoke cocktail stations, backbar and gantry design, and supply of refrigeration and glass storage solutions, echoing the signature style of Cognito’s downstairs bar.
With the upper floor providing a blank canvas, KCM collaborated closely with Zara to develop a design tailored to the space. Drawing on her experience from top London bars, Zara had a clear vision for the layout and functionality, including the integration of a Calabrese sink — a specialist cocktail sink with a perforated waste pan and tundish for efficient bar service. KCM produced detailed drawings of the cocktail stations to confirm every specification before fabrication, ensuring precision in every element that could be clearly understood by the client and the fabricator.
Constructing a Bespoke Bar with Precision
KCM conducted detailed surveys, produced full elevation drawings with complete specifications, then coordinated closely with the client’s electrical, plumbing, and flooring contractors to ensure seamless delivery.
The bar carcass was built on-site using CLS and moisture-resistant MDF, while the cocktail stations, peanut rails, and backbar gantries had been signed off and put into production. The joinery units were built, laminated, and finished off-site at KCM‘s workshop before installation.
To achieve the sisters’ design vision, the client sourced premium stone directly from C&J Stonemasonry for installation by KCM. A light marble was used for the bar top and fascia, complemented by a dark marble for the backbar. Handling the exceptionally heavy marble slabs required careful planning and precise coordination across all trades, an effort that resulted in a flawless finish befitting the venue’s high-end aesthetic.
Attention to Detail: The Backbar and Finishing Touches
The backbar display gantries were fabricated in the same style as Cognito’s, this time incorporating integrated black glass stemware hangers to enhance both functional and visual impact. Custom light shades featuring the Cognito logo were added, requiring meticulous positioning to ensure symmetry and visual balance in coordination with the electrician.
When a late-stage issue arose, the glass manufacturer had miscut the notches for the gantry shelving, KCM acted quickly to implemented a temporary solution using 8mm Perspex shelves to keep the project on schedule for opening night. Shortly after the opening, the replacement glass arrived and was installed, with KCM carefully reinstating the bottles exactly as before to maintain the display’s perfect arrangement.
The Cognito and Incognito projects showcased KCM’s ability to deliver high-end hospitality environments under tight deadlines, combining design expertise, bespoke fabrication, and collaborative project management. The resulting venues stand as two of Lincoln’s most distinctive hospitality destinations — stylish, unique, and perfectly aligned with the owners’ creative and operational vision.
Incognito was a great project to be involved in, not only was it a local venue to KCM but we had the opportunity to manage the whole design and build process of the bar area and develop the bespoke elements with meticulous detail.
In addition to this it was a real pleasure working with Zara and Ellie because they knew exactly what they wanted and how they wanted it, with a deep understanding of hospitality interior design, the venue looks great, and was a much needed addition to Lincoln’s cocktail offerings.
Steve Palmer, Director – KCM
Visit the Cognito website: cognitouk.com