People cut corners.
We all do it. It's not that we are inherently sinful or lazy, it's just that time + money + distractions = creative solutions for meeting deadlines, a.k.a. cutting corners.
The real trick is knowing where you can cut and how to do it well.
When I first walked into One Third I felt like it was a cool, streamlined and corporate kind of space. Which in Hospitality terms means cold, intimidating and cheap if the food/decor/service is anything less than perfect. It was a boy's bar and everyone that I talked to about it said so.
"It's too cold and masculine."
"It needs to be warmer."
"Do you even do food here?"
"It's like a super-club from the rave days but the size of a storeroom."
The biggest problem was that every cut corner (especially the bathrooms) showed through very quickly and no one likes to drink, eat or be merry in a place they can't trust or feel welcome in. Also smaller spaces mean any intense colours have double the impact, so steer clear of harsh reds unless you want your customers feeling overly tense or anxious.
Here's how we changed some of the colour schemes in the bar area to become warmer and more relaxed, whilst still supporting the ultimate goal of "classy cocktail lounge". There's a few recycling tips and tricks (cut corners) that anyone should consider if they are planning a refurbishment.
With just a can of Rustoleum hammered brown anti-rust spray paint you can quickly convert a shocking 70's/80's blue laminate bathroom cabinet into an easy-clean semi-modern solution. The aerosol varnish coating that the anti-rust paint has means that the surface now repels water and stains whilst keeping a textured feel and look. It's not great but if you don't have the time or money to build a whole new cabinet it really is a simple solution that, in our case, made the whole bathroom appear intentional rather than stolen from grandma's house.
Here are the perforated galvanised panels that covered one side of the wall (you can see it in the pictures from the post before). Whilst a cool idea for a nightclub, it really made the place feel like an ad agency's reception.
Here's a shot of the strips of white LED's that light up behind the perforated galvanised sheets to create a similarly cool but but cold effect.
And now here is the creative solution. Spray your galvanised sheets in a coating of Rustoleum hammered brown with a haphazard top coat of hammered copper to create a rusted effect whilst protecting the sheets form ever rusting themselves.
You can see the big difference between the original and the sprayed sheets. The cans of spray paint cost me $11.25 each and one can of each did about 3 panels. So for less than the cost of enough paint to change the wall, I've turned something familiar to the old crowd into something warmer and more interesting to the local crowd.
This is what the bar looked like without the big black IKEA style bookshelves on the back wall (again look at my previous post and you will see those bad boys in action). The shelves were practical but just added to the intense red-black contrast that made the whole bar feel very heavy.
A simple coat of primer on the back wall alone shows how intense the red really is in this space. We needed to create the same level of visual impact as a bright red bar whilst making it feel warm and intriguing.
Taking into account the copper/rust tones of our new feature wall, we set about finding wallpaper and paint swatches to attempt an entirely new look without having to change the expensive items like the bar-top and fronting. A dark olive colour (Taubman's Jungle Path) was chosen to complement the wooden floors, golden hints in the wallpaper and the copper on the panelled wall. It also matches in nicely with the surrounding restaurants and shops and turns the loud statement the bar was into a subtle venue that can let its products and service speak for itself. (yes, it is arrogant of me to put it that way but that's what I really hope this bar can do)
Finally, the first wall of wallpaper is finished and the subtle patterning creates visual interest up close, without being too ostentatious or intimidating from afar. This picture doesn't show the pattern or colour too well but the next post will have some good shots as I show you some other cost-cutting ways that we replaced the need for big black bookshelves.
