brief: interior design for a restaurant and lounge bar

Set in the beautiful rural Warwickshire countryside, on the banks of the river Avon, and home to The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon is one of the most important tourist destinations in the UK.

When the site of the former Ripple Café came on to the market, our client saw a great opportunity for a venue design that could have an all day appeal and also offer a great place for a business function or wedding reception.

The client called Design CLD with an unusual brief targeting several distinct markets and a tight deadline aimed at capitalizing on the lucrative summer trade.

Above: the revitalised restaurant area.

The location on riverbank parkland presented a great opportunity to offer park visitors a welcome place to eat and drink during the day. In the early evening the proximity to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is ideal to offer pre theatre meals. The late license for the lounge bar upstairs gives visitors an opportunity to relax, dine and dance into the early hours. The combination of late bar and restaurant also means that the venue is perfect for private functions.

Our approach to the project

To capture the summer trade we decided the restaurant design should build on investment already carried out by previous tenants. We retained the lighting and concentrated on choosing beautiful colours and materials. Existing chairs were re-finished with a mix of cool pastel hues. We also specified new tables, signage and colours throughout. Doors where re-finished with walnut and eye catching wallpapers were used to pick out key features. The effect was to create a cool sophisticated and flexible dining area perfect for fine dining while at the same time casual enough to attract daytime custom.

Upstairs the Lounge Bar design focused on creating a swanky interior of luscious leathers, sparkling surfaces and plush seating. We designed the space with a private room, VIP suite and exclusive silvery seating booths to enable the venue to host several functions within the same space. A large dance floor with state of the lighting was specified to double up as dining hall for wedding events.

The result

The restaurant was trading successfully just five weeks after the acquisition of the site with the lounge bar opening just a month after.

> Find out more about the Riverbank bar and restaurant from their own web site www.riverbank-stratford.co.uk