The cold front associated with what was Glasgow’s weather-themed Strata, has now been replaced by a warmer looking and altogether more colourful interior design by DBD.
2PT – and its three directors: Euan Bain, Vinnie Roarty and Sean Cairnduff – is the company behind the new-look Glasgow Queen Street outlet. Between them they decided to stick with the name, and revive the property that’s been closed for a number of years and was just a shell when the outfitters, Primero, rolled in to undertake a four-week refurbishment.
Vinnie Roarty showed me around on the opening day late last month, as a representative from Heineken took the staff through some pretty intense beer training. He said, “It’s quite a responsibility to take on premises with such a reputation, and we want to uphold this so training and quality are paramount. We also decided to keep the name as there will be many people among our clientele that will be able to relate to what it used to be like. We also didn’t want to build up a new brand, and the main difference in the design is that it’s friendlier and warmer with industrial/warehouse touches here and there.”
All of the design tweaks have been cosmetic with the three-part structural layout remaining intact. There’s the main area including bar and window seating, a secluded back area for overspill as well as private function hire, and a mezzanine. As well as inheriting the name, they also plan on keeping the function hire element for both the mezzanine and the back area.
So how significant have the changes been? The only two design remnants left behind are the white tiles on the bar-front which, Vinne tells me, are a design classic that the designer insisted they keep. They are white porcelain with a raised bump, almost like a square of liqueur chocolate. The second is the beautiful exposed stone wall on the wall opposite the bar. The bar top is all wooden and brand new, and a new back bar is showcased with a relatively simplistic back bar design against a dark green/grey painted wall. The gantry boasts a series of utilitarian-style metal shelves which complement the industrial look of the ceiling with its exposed ventilation and metal wire tracking. To the right of the bar and high on the wall are mirrored shelves with all sorts of vases and pots on display that add a splash of colour.
As well as the painted walls and pillars, there’s some wood panelling and a splash of grey here and there. The original wooden floor boards have been sanded up and finished with a natural stain, while a carpet finishes the back room.
The furniture downstairs and in the mezzanine is an interesting mix of banquettes in green velour and distressed leather, with a horseshoe-shaped one in the apex of the window as you enter. There are also high posing tables next to the bar and the free-standing wooden tables have been stained in a kind of mushroom colour, and this has been paired with a variety of dining chairs, from plain black wood, to upholstered turquoise and lime.
The light source comes from large bell-shaped frame pendant with the exposed, and increasingly ubiquitous, filament light bulbs. There are also some wall lights which contribute to the overall warming of the bar. There’s quite a bit of natural light shining through the front windows, but this is compromised along the side of the bar as it looks out onto a dingy alley.
The mezzanine is fairly plain in design terms with the aforementioned tables and chairs and view over both the bar and the separate function area. The latter will certainly be a talking point with its snug feel and various vases and a wall-mounted wooden plinth displaying a thought provoking quote. There are also some large Georgian window style mirrors sitting alongside grey walls and green/blue tiles. I’m sure that they’ll have no problem hiring this area out as it’s ideal for lots of different occasions.
Jason Caddy