Apex Hotels have recently introduced two new additions as part of a £2 million ground-floor renovation of the Apex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh: a café-bar and brasserie restaurant called Liberté, and a cocktail bar named 1819.
Situated on Waterloo Place, near Princes Street, Liberté offers “a fresh take on the European brasserie experience, blending Belgian influences with locally sourced ingredients and Scottish charm.” Bar 1819 will feature a range of cocktails developed exclusively for the venue, as well as craft beers, single malts, and wines from Scottish and international suppliers.
The Apex Hotel building was designed by Archibald Elliot in the early 19th century, and the new venue certainly draws on this inspiration. It has been designed by Edinburgh architects ISA, inspired by Georgian interiors and the Palm Courts of the 1800s.
Throughout the venue, period features have been retained, such as decorative cornices, architraves, and high ceilings. The venue now flows naturally from one area to another. Symmetry, graceful proportions, and clean lines have been used to full advantage to create a sumptuous feel with timeless elegance.
Senior Interior Designer from ISA Architects, Emma Franks, said, “Having worked on the hotel in its original state, we were already very familiar with it. The thing about hotels is you have to design for every possible scenario, and I feel we’ve just really got it right here. It was a lovely job to work on.
“I wanted to accentuate the interior by simplifying it, so there is a nod to the Parisian black-and-white Art Deco era. It was important to bring a richness and sophistication to the brasserie.
“There is also a nod to botanical glasshouses and the Great Exhibition era. The idea here came from the scale and the lighting in the room. The most dominant decision was to paint all the woodwork and windows in a dramatic black to create a strong contrast against the warm cream.
“We tried to pick out the historic joinery, as there were a lot of period features in the front-of-house areas. We’ve also added panelling in some areas to accentuate the historic feel. It’s all about layering detail and textures, and we wanted to add a contemporary edge as well.”
Liberté now features parquet flooring, which gives way to a cream fireplace and a stunning statement wallpaper. This wallpaper has subtle neutral hues, with the grandeur of tropical foliage detailed through illustrations of palm trees.
Rich textures have been utilised in the furnishings, such as velvet and leather banquettes, stylish orange dining chairs trimmed in gold, leather sofas, and statement upholstered sofas and chairs in a colour wave fabric.
The square marble tables also add a subtle opulence. Layered lighting is key to creating the sophisticated ambience of the interior. Spotlights are complemented by stunning statement lighting, such as cylindrical two-tier cream ceiling pendants.
There are also small table lamps on every table, which create a warm atmosphere. Across the reception area,
Bar 1819 stands alone from the rest of the brasserie, although some of the themes are carried through. Emma adds, “We’ve drastically changed the circulation, so there is a lot more flow through the space. 1819 was always a bar, but we wanted to create more drama and theatre in there.
“We have moved the bar from one side to the other, so you see that as soon as you come through the door. It’s got a lovely feel to it.”
It certainly does. There are round marble tables trimmed with gold, high bar stools that match the chairs in Liberté and leafy freestanding potted plants to create warmth and carry through the palm aesthetic.
The bar itself has a gold foot rail, which gives way to orange horizontal textured tiling, a marble bar top, and a natural wood gantry. There is also black-and-white geometric-style tiling on the floor in front of the bar.
Another ornate fireplace in this room has a large mirror above it, bringing more light, space, and warmth to the bar. More statement lighting features in the form of a modern metal chandelier with glass orbs. It certainly looks and feels very chic.
This design has clearly been deeply considered and well executed. The stunning finishes are key to the sophistication and elegance. Hotel bars can often have a reputation for being soulless; however, this could not be further from the truth in Liberté and 1819. In fact, you could settle in for hours, just soaking up the ambience and subtle elegance of your surroundings.