Loki is a multi award winning wine bar & retailer in Birmingham. Great Western Arcade was their first property and we have subsequently designed and fit out two more wine bars for Loki within the city. Loki wanted to a full bar refurbishment service to upgrade their current GWA location to allow for both propositions to work in unison and create a space to celebrate their wine portfolio.
The Challenge
Loki’s main issue downstairs is that the space straddles two functions and it previously looked like a shop yet tired to be a bar so was struggling to do either well. With this the back room made it a very tight confined space and it simply had a large desk as the counter. It wasn’t functional/fit for purpose and space planning of the wine bar was poor. In addition upstairs the space needed to be designed to be more flexible to cater for different events & covers and make the airy space more intimate. Lighting was poor throughout, as downstairs they had old bathroom lights and so a modern bar interior design was required.
Our Solution
Holistically across both floors we ensured they had a cohesive modern bar interior design throughout. In the downstairs we opened up the space to address the circulation issues. As bar construction specialists we designed the bar to make it efficient in terms of storage and to be a focal feature within the space. We designed a new lighting plan that highlighted the produce on display yet also provided a much more intimate space, as it should be for a wine bar
The upstairs bar area was an awkward space as the existing area was airy but arguably not intimate enough. We used a number of subtle techniques to address, i.e. painting the ceilings black which against the white windows also highlighted the beautiful arched windows going into the arcade. Flexibility was the key upstairs as the configuration needed to change depending on the number of covers booked, so modular tables, chairs and lighting enabled the space to be repurposed from tasting room to romantic nightspot and back again with ease. Low-level lighting was also key for a warmer/cosy vibe – all lights on dimmers. The full bar construction and fit-out in Birmingham was a huge success.
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