The Challenge
A significant design mismatch between a venue's interior and exterior areas. Outside, at the front of the venue, visitors are welcomed into a stylish, modern, open-plan seating area. This aesthetic brings the Brickyard title to life through the use of industrial-style mixed media – metalwork and brickwork. The interior design, however, was completely incongruous with the exterior, to the extent that it felt like an entirely different venue.
Pale wooden floors, faux leather cushions, and high-gloss drinking/dining surfaces gave the interior a tired, dated feeling – almost like a mess hall. Stepping into this environment after passing through the impressive outdoor area was underwhelming, jarring, and led to a disappointing customer experience.
The Brief
was to bring the same sense of clean yet rugged industrial style from the outdoor environment into the indoor environment, in a way that felt seamless and consistent.
We resolved to address 3 key elements that had been lacking: intimacy, atmosphere, and theme.
Intimacy
We started by subtly dividing the space into areas to accommodate groups of various sizes. A double-arched brick wall is a feature piece, and separates the main bar from the dining area without making it feel closed off. Along with intimate seating areas, a single bar surface weaves through the venue, to add a sense of connectedness. The bar surface is hand-burned and sealed solid ash, with a mirror-finished base that gives it the appearance of floating.
Atmosphere
Our aim was to make the venue feel less like a mess hall and more like a microbrewery. We designed and installed various finishes for a modern, dynamic, and industrial atmosphere. The main bar is backed by brick cladding, with beer taps emerging from purpose-aged corrugated metal sheeting placed against the bricks. The corrugated metal is featured throughout the venue – underneath the bench seating, in the bathrooms, and even as panelling inside custom-built tables.
Theme
The primary design idea was to provide a microbrewery experience of sorts, one that appealed to multiple senses – particularly touch, smell, and sight. Living hop plants – a form of climbing plant – scale the walls, their vivid green hues contrasting with the terracotta tones of the bricks. Custom commissioned artwork on upcycled hessian sacks adorn various walls, adding warmth, texture, and visual appeal.
Bespoke furniture pieces built upon powder-coated metal frames fill the space with an industrial style. A colour scheme of muted earthy tones is accented with shades of blue and orange. Strip-lighting panels are embedded into each table surface, and industrial-style coiled orange power cords run vertically from each table into the ceiling. These two elements combine to make each seating area feel like they're part of a brewery's canning production line.
Result
The venue now lives up to its name – literally, and in terms of style, function, and interior design.
The client kindly (and happily) reported the following stats as a result of our work:
* +45% photo shares on Instagram
* Roughly 30% increase in revenue and foot traffic