Covent Garden is buzzing with bars, pubs, restaurants and social hangouts so if you’re in the hospitality industry and you want to get ahead, you’ve got to get noticed.
This Adventure Bar’s subterranean location might be full of architectural character and over-flowing cocktails but the lighting design challenge was to attract passing trade. The street view of the stairs was key so it needed something “special”, making it an “eye-catching” entrance. Sparkling light bulb clusters were suspended from the red sloped ceiling giving the client the visual emphasis needed and double takes from passers by.
Once downstairs it’s an oasis of wine cellar-type delight – it’s no surprise though…it used to be one, many moons ago. Banquette seats were illuminated with luminaires that washed light across the fair-faced brickwork, revealing textures and creating an impressive feature of the barrel-vaulted ceilings. The theme of clustered light bulbs was continued over the bar area where they’re draped over the space adding a fun and quirky vibe.
A final touch to the bar’s architectural lighting design solution was a control system. This made sure illuminance levels across the bar were carefully balanced, with light levels at the rear subtly higher than the front, drawing the eye – and cocktail-drinking customers – into the space.
This project was undertaken while Paul was Director of Light Bureau. Photography © Light Bureau
— Paul Nulty
