21/03/2007

In 1946, George Orwell wrote an essay for the Evening Standard on his favourite pub, ‘The Moon Under Water’. “The cast-iron fireplaces, the florid ceiling, the stuffed bull’s head over the mantelpiece — everything has the solid comfortable ugliness of the 19th century,” he wrote. “In winter there is a good fire burning in at least two of the bars, and the Victorian layout of the place gives plenty of elbow-room. There are no modern miseries – no sham roof-beams, inglenooks or plastic panels masquerading as oak….”

So where was this perfect public house, this shrine to the pleasures of drink? Well, nowhere, in fact – Orwell had made the whole place up.

Is the state of today’s pub design just as lamentable? Can we only fantasise about the best place for a pint? Here, Allfoodscotland shows that good pub interior design is something that needs careful consideration.

First impressions

As soon as a customer walks in to your pub, they are making up their mind about the place. It doesn’t matter if you serve the world’s best oak-conditioned beer and gourmet food, if you’ve got an 80s glitter ball as your central theme, they may well turn around and go to your competitors down the road.

Colin Brough, managing director of Brand Ambassadors, an Oakbank-based company that specialises in brand-orientated artwork for pubs and bars, says: “Bar interiors convey a whole host of messages and consumers are making unconscious judgments based on the lay-out, types of people, the service, the quality of brands on offer, the toilets, noise level and so on. Depending on the type of consumer, they will rank these judgments based on their priority for drinking there.”

Iain McArthur, co-founder of Surface, a Glasgow-based design company that specialises in bars, clubs and pubs, agrees, and says the way customers perceive a space will also have an effect on their behaviour. “In a high quality interior like The Buttery, the design makes people feel they need to talk in hushed tones for example, while a traditional pub feels more relaxed so they may talk louder and be more boisterous,” he says.

So, before you’ve put up those flowery curtains and paint the walls, it pays to consider who’s coming to your pub and whom you want to attract. “The nation’s attitude to drinking and socializing changes depending on age/background/regionality/ ocassionality,” says Brough. “Many people like the pub environment to be a home from home, with interiors filled with eclectic and traditional artifacts and cosy, roaring fires, whereas others like to opt for bars where they can be ‘seen’. If you want to make money from your design you need to think about both.”
 
Michael Dunn, founder and managing director of Dunn Interiors, a Glasgow-based design company that has carried out more than 500 refurbishments of style bars, pubs and restaurants, says: “You need to design for the customers’ sake and not the sake of the pub. You may have enough people for the weekend market but you need to think about the week too?” Dunn believes it is crucial to do detailed research first before you even consider a refit. “The big mistake people make is trying to fit a square pub into a round hole,” says Dunn. “Make a business plan and do your market research, spend time with your customers, ask them why they come, what they like and don’t like? Find out what the competition are doing.”

Out with the old and in with the new?

If you are starting from scratch with a new build then the décor world is pretty much your oyster, but if you’re refitting an existing property, a former bank or church, then it can be a daunting prospect keeping the original elements but stamping your own personality on the place. Geoff Brandwood, from English Heritage, and one of the men behind Camra’s annual Pub Design Awards, laments the death of the traditional British boozer and worries that pubs are now opting for high-volume turnover over good design. “Huge amounts of money have been thrown at pubs, almost, it would seem, with the aim of making one pub look much the same as any other,” he says. “30 years ago, landlords threw out the Victoriana but now they’re putting it all back. Why not design it sympathetically and seriously in the first place?”

Brandwood says the increasing use of municipal buildings as pubs and bars can often leave the customer feeling shipwrecked. He says: “The local pub used to be a place for the community and that was reflected in the décor, with pictures of nearby streets and community event posters. Large, modern ‘prairie style’ pubs often lack this.” Iain McArthur agrees: “Big areas can make customers feel lost and it ruins the atmosphere. It’s important to use screens to give intimacy and you need to break down the bigger areas to create pockets of smaller space.”

Think function over form

But designing isn’t just about fluffy cushions and fairy lights. “Ultimately, the designers role is to make a venue look better, but it is also about using our skills to create successful businesses,” says Dunn.

“The key challenge is incorporating all the uglier elements into the design, so you must think about where the fire escape or heating ducts will go,” says McArthur. Food may be an important element to incorporate into your initial designs – will you need space to prepare dishes from scratch or just somewhere to heat up? Will staff have to travel through the bar to get to kitchen?”
 
Robbie Gill, managing director of The Design Solution, a London-based design company that have worked on bars in Glasgow, says: “Do the basics well and don’t be too clever. If a bar is too big, staff will have further to walk and will get tired more easily. Similarly, if all your spirits are at on end of the bar, staff will be running up and down all night. Each member of staff should have a workstation, just like in an office. The biggest complaint from bar staff is poor quality design. Encourage your staff to consult with you on the plans – after all, they are the ones who know how the place runs on a busy night.”


Britain has witnessed more than 1,000 years of brewing tradition and the humble boozer has undergone a real metamorphosis in that time. We take a cheeky look back over 100 years of decorating disasters and delights.

The early days….

“The great boom in pub building came at the close of the 19th century when designers used gas lighting on mirrors and plate glass to atmospheric effect. Ceramics, woodwork, metalwork and plaster, all materials made cheaper by the Industrial Revolution, helped create the iconic image of the Victorian pub,” says English Heritage.

Seventies saloons…

With the garish 70s came bucket-loads of kitsch. Formica tables, embossed wallpaper, darts boards, and possibly a TV in the corner showing Bullseye.

The eighties’ effect…

The advent of the theme bar, be it Oirish, Ozzy or Scottish, and the wine bar – with their chrome, smoked glass, and (thanks to one Tom Cruise) cocktail couture.

Nature-loving nineties…

The beginning of this decade saw village pub décor become the norm (even if the pub was tucked beside the M8). Out came the bookcases with glued on books (just in case you felt inclined to steal a copy of the Life and Times of Tommy Crocket the Third), the horse brasses, old photographs (usually of a foxhunt or two) and farming implements. Seating was sculptured from oak barrels.

Late 90s…

The Sports’ bar idea, big in the States, was test-driven in the UK – but it was more flop than first place. While the US versions had 20,000 sq ft of snooker tables and basketball hoops, the UK's nod to sport was TV screens and 2-for-1 deals if your favourite team scored.

Style of the noughties…

The rise of minimalism saw bars decked out with cube tables, leather chairs and single flowers in vases. Metal basins in the toilets splashed back whatever you poured in them. There was a Central Perk air too (geared towards the burgeoning female market) with decor that was “more comfy than your own living room”.