By Nicola Walker
In the past few months Scoop Restaurants, the group behind Ox and Finch and the popular southeast Asian-inspired Ka Pao restaurants, have launched not just one, but two new dining destinations on Glasgow’s Miller Street.
Both restaurants are already proving a hit with customers and have been designed by Stuart Black of Mosaic Architecture and Design.
First up is Margo, which owner Jonathan MacDonald describes as “an evolution of our first restaurant, Ox and Finch. Both restaurants share the same ethos of being relaxed, accessible and fun, alongside a focus on quality.
“Whilst retaining lots of the features that have made Ox and Finch so popular for the last decade, Margo will be bigger and bolder. We’ll be pushing things further in the kitchen, baking our own breads, making fresh pastas and also doing some in-house butchery.”
Margo, which seats 138 diners, certainly is a bold statement from a design perspective and features an expansive main dining room, upper mezzanine and an open kitchen perfectly slotted in underneath the mezzanine.
Interior Designer, Stuart Black told DRAM, “The space was previously an art gallery and was just full of white plasterboard. When we stripped all that away we 
found all this architectural history, which we had no idea was there, such as the truncated columns and the doors at a higher level from when it was a warehouse. The design really evolved from that.
“We also found all this steel and thought how can we put a mezzanine around this? Instead of doing what you would normally do and parking it at the back I wanted to move it past the columns so everyone could see them – it just grew organically from that.
“We deliberately only did the decoration to half height to make the area feel more intimate and like a restaurant. Also, with the venues position adjacent to the Clyde, we wanted to bring in a theme and a colour scheme inspired by this – so it’s a love letter to the Clyde in a way.”
Stuart worked with main contractors CMC Design Ltd on the project and also curated a team of local craftspeople to create bespoke furniture. He added, “I designed the chairs myself and they were made by a metalworker in Govan – so they are also Clyde built! In fact, 100% of the interiors are pretty much bespoke to this venue”
The interior has industrial edge where architectural metalwork, bare brick and traditional clay render are mixed with ceramic and terracotta tiles.
However, the half timber boards on the walls and highly finished interiors allow the area to feel warm, relaxed and comfortable.
Lighting also plays a huge part in this, and salvaged light fittings have been paired with decorative metal legs to turn them into floor lamps which makes everything feel more welcoming and a little bit special.
As well as the eye-catching pink metal and blue leather chairs designed by Stuart, there is also a plethora of warm brown leather banquettes and booths which offer a more intimate dining setting for groups.
The mezzanine area offers a spectacular view over the whole restaurant, and it is here that you can look over and truly appreciate the geometry, the reclaimed features, and the blend of the design. Where a more muted colour scheme and industrial elements blend with the glorious wood finishes in Margo, Sebb’s, in contrast, is ready to punch you in face with colour upon arrival at the bright red door with neon branding.
Sebb’s is an underground bar and restaurant which pairs an open kitchen (centred around an expansive charcoal grill to give guests a glimpse of the live fire cooking) with a dedicated cocktail kitchen and a late-night programme of DJs.
It seats 68 with a further 12 covers in the private dining room aptly named ‘The Record Room’.
Taking its inspiration from the revered vinyl bars of Europe the venue has a state-of-the-art sound system and DJ box installed by industry experts A-Live sound. Beautiful vaulted brick ceilings and metal elements are softened by red and dark brown leather booth seating, red metal high stools, accents of coloured tiles and parquet flooring.
There are further pops of colour from bespoke artwork on the walls consisting of red frames filled with acoustic foam which highlights the music theme. Another focus is DJ area at the far end of the room.
Iain Mackie from A-Live sound said, “We installed a bespoke pair of Danley Shark Fins loudspeakers, they were lacquered with a touch of Sebb’s burnt umber brand colour on a bare wood grain to bring a touch of the unusual to the space. They are flown from the record store bookshelf and can be used at restaurant volume, but will also bring the party when it’s time for dancing.”
Along either side of the DJ booth there are shelves filled with vinyl records and there is also another bright red neon proudly displaying the Sebb’s logo.
The lighting design is definitely the key to the intimacy in Sebb’s and lights have been integrated into the vaulted ceiling in strips all the way along to allow an old-fashioned amber glow. Scoop Restaurants Group have certainly had a busy few months, but they aren’t stopping there, as Ox and Finch is now getting a makeover as well.
I can’t wait to see the results! Plus we have Margo and Sebb’s to visit in the meantime, and I can’t wait to return to both!
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