Tapped (formerly the Porterhouse Bar on Nassau Street) is a transformative bar with entrances on Nassau and Grafton Street.
Owned by the Porterhouse Brewing Company, the interior design was inspired by elements of their functioning brewery located in Glasnevin, Dublin.
Exposed ducting, exposed brick and the goal to retain as many elements of the original building all directed the design aesthetic. Overhead conveyors, the vast network of piping and industrial materials used in the brewery were creatively reinterpreted and designed for a commercial venue. A custom designed, wayfinding floor print also mimicked the wayfinding signage of the brewery.
Sustainability was also a key focus for the design and fitout. Repurposed kegs were used in a variety of ways including decoratively as well as purpose built furniture.
The material palette was whittled down 3 core materials and colours: cast concrete, stainless steel and powder-coated red metal. With the longest bar in Dublin, a single red line of powder-coated metal further highlights this and connects other spaces throughout the venue. Along its journey, the red line morphs into different materials and functions from metal to paint to timber to upholstery – all in red – and taking the shapes of tables, seats, lighting, and counters. This extends the length of the bar from 15 to over 100 metres in length.
It was important to pay respect to the original building, which is an historical structure. Stripping back years of paneling that had been added in over time exposed beautiful old historical brickwork, as well as the structural concrete and steel that was added as reinforcement over the years. All of the exposed brickwork was cleaned and treated, and this allows the ‘old brick’ to contrast beautifully with the ‘future brick’. The “ghost of the original archways was re-exposed and 4 drinking counters were crafted from solid glass brick topped with untreated metal, signifying transparency and the new life and use of the building.