The bar had all the makings of a great place to be – strong architectural features, lots of cosy places to sit and the hint of a moody atmosphere.
Sadly it had an assortment of brightly coloured furniture, which made it feel vibrant rather than cool. The seating was all the same height, so the room felt rather flat and one dimensional, also the lighting was too harsh which made the whole space lack atmosphere.
“This is certainly the best designed college bar we have had the pleasure of visiting … with lots of small tables tactically arranged around the room and irresistibly comfy sofas, we found it to be really edgy.”
Cherwell Magazine
I wanted to create a moody, almost cocoon effect in the bar. Warm grey gave that moody feel I was trying to create and the use of darker shades and blackboard paint on some walls gave a touch of drama. The yellow came from the college crest, and gave the room some identity.
We put together some great fabrics from Kirby Design which were based on the London Underground upholstery, which I thought fitted the scheme perfectly. I teamed this with some very durable leatherette fabrics so it would stand up to the rigors of term time use!
I designed bespoke two-toned ottomans, and had the barstools and table legs dipped in bright yellow – all made by our team of commercial upholsterers and furniture makers.
The mix of moody shades and strong accent colours really came together to give the scheme a grown up feel.
