The Storeroom, Bristol

Lucy Tauber Architects were asked to extend the Big Chill Bar in Bristol by converting a small L-shaped office space on the first floor into a secret bar. The space had to include a lounge, a dining table and bar so that the room could offer versatile use, day or night for private parties, backstage and events. The room needed to fit in with other Big Chill interiors and celebrate creativity and the unexpected.

Creating a tangible connection between the room and the main bar was a particular challenge considering the relatively long journey between the spaces (through 4 doors) and the distinctly bureaucratic character of the office corridor. The awkward shape of the room, its domestic scale and sash windows, created a strong existing identity that could not changed and had to be worked around.

A filing cabinet, numbered rooms, additional doors and the name ‘the storeroom’ suceeded in converting the office corridor into a journey full of expectation. The surprising, if not surreal, .tongue in cheek’ 1970’s interior, complete with original kitchen, wallpaper, furniture and fittings created an exciting contrast to the grey corridor and its authenticity, a commitment to the design era, created a unique and special event space.