“Part of the City fabric” is how Corney & Barrow describe themselves and we couldn’t agree more. Starting out in the 1980s wine bar era, evolving with the times has been key to their bars’ success and in a new brand concept architectural lighting design has had a starring role.
Working across two contrasting locations the lighting solutions created very different tones to get the best out of each venue. Mason’s Avenue, Moorgate was a refurbishment and basement conversion where collaborative working with the design team meant the lighting scheme was fully coordinated with the modern, exposed services look. There wasn’t much daylight so we got the most out of vertical surfaces by washing them with light, and decorative wall luminaires, integrated LEDs, eclectic retro pendants and floor-standing lamps added personality to the space.
The “Cabin”, Waterloo was a mezzanine bar opened as part of a station spruce-up. An immediate obstacle was concourse light-spill. Not competing was the answer so the scheme was based on contrast and colour with less focus on the effect of light and more on the actual fittings. Key vertical surfaces were illuminated with warm light, pinhole spotlights punched light onto individual tables and a mixture of low-level decorative lighting and block coloured, solid shades added a kick of vibrancy. At night it really comes into its own – it’s cosy, relaxing and a great spot to have a tipple while waiting for that delayed train.
— Ellie Coombs
