Old style

Pubs have been around for centuries. In order to design this pub effectively I need to gain an understanding of what they were used for and the decoration of them. Also if there has been any change in the interiors during the past 10 years or so. As well as what characteristics are important to a pubs design.

Sourced from  Designing Commercial Interiors book- Drawing by Edwin Tunis

The image above is a drawing of an interior from an 18th century inn,  focusing on the bar area. this interior is full of wood from the floor to the ceilings. It would of probably looked very dark and dull, especially as the only form of light would of been by candle light at this time. This is a very typical tavern interior for this period. During this time period inns and taverns were very much sought after by people looking for food and beverages. It was also a place for local people to barter, trade and gamble. These places we now call pubs were mainly used by men but were run by women brewsters. In particular working class and middle class men. In some respects elements of this remains today. They are mainly occupied by men who are trying to get out of the way of their wives. Only last week when visiting a pub on a Thursday night for a game of darts my own group consisted of more boys than girls by quite a margin (5 boys and 2 girls) Not only that we were very outnumbered with in the pub itself. In the whole time we were there only three ladies visited the pub, husbands in tow. In contrast there seemed to be an ever growing stream of men turning up by themselves or in groups of two of three. At one point in the bar alone there were 6 females (including the barmaid and myself) and 15 males. This may be due to the stereotype of such a place. This is a point to consider when designing The Cottage Inn to make it appeal to both sexes.
(Image: Pictrowski, C.M & Rogers, E.A. 2007, Designing Commercial Interiors, 2nd Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. )

Fox and Flowerpot, Woking

This next interior is from the Fox and Flower Pot in Woking. This pub was built in 1985 and was designed to look like a traditrional ale house. The characteristics used to achieve this consist of flagstone flooring, solid timber beams and posts, brickwork on show, open fireplace and country style furniture. The lighting doesn't quite fit and maybe old style lanterns would of complemented the space better in creating a traditional interior. This look is probably what one would expect to find when walking into a random pub out of the city. It does look very dated in today's market. I feel that this type of interior can be bought into the 21st century with out losing the characteristics of an old country pub. It can be done through treatment of wood and the fabrics selected, something i am hoping to find a balance of with in the re-design of The Cottage.

The Bonnie Prince Pub, Switzerland

I found this image really intreging because at first it looks like an interior from a typical English pub but this is actually in Switzerland. They have taken influence from the English pub concept and recreated it abroad. From what I have found it was apparently designed by an English interior design company, so that explains why everything is just right. I really like the mix of high, low and comfortable seating. It gives the space contrast and different levels.

The Swan, Kent

The Swan pub is situated in Ashford, Kent. This pub is with a market town. When this space was re-designed the goal was to maximise the trading space and improve efficiency without detracting from he building characteristics. Various area were moved around to create more space. This pub shows that a modern and more efficient operation can be applied to a traditional atmosphere.

The Bakery and Brewhouse, Oxford

The Bakery and brewhouse was a relatively new building when the book used for this information was published in 1994. The pub was formed from a number of already existing buildings in an area that was being redeveloped. The brief was to create an authentic traditional setting with modern applications. I love the split levels and balcony area this pub has. It was retained many features that the existing buildings already had and applied pub characteristics where possible, including wood paneling and exposed brickwork. Even though this is a huge space it still has that warm and friendly country pub look.

It would appear from looking at these sources that old probably is best in retaining the unique style and character that pubs have. However as stated above these interiors can be bought up to date with use of patterns, colours and textures. An over haul and contemporary design would just lose what customers know and love about their local.

Bibliography
Images and Information for this post sourced from:
Lawson, F. 1994, Restaurants, Clubs and Bars - Planning, Design and investment for Food Servise Facilities. Oxford: Architectural Press
Pictrowski, C.M & Rogers, E.A. 2007, Designing Commercial Interiors, 2nd Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.