Inspiration in Design- Bars and Cafes

At Lolo & Galago we take inspiration for our designs from all aspects of life.
 One of the big trends this year for jewellery designers has been taking inspiration from  geometry and buildings worldwide. Stephen Webster created a whole collection of jewellery around buildings and architecture. So we thought we would take a slightly differently angle and look at what inspires the designs of interiors themselves; namely cafes and restaurants around the world.

Gemstones originate from the ground and at some stage started life in the form of a rock. This inspiration from rock is also found in the creation of Corus, a bar designed by the Doyle Collection, where they have installed rocks into the bar and framed as artwork. Rocks were the fundamental inspiration and set the theme & colour scheme of the interior. This bar has won awards for their design.

 

One of our favourite café bars was inspired by speakers, music and lighting. It was opened up by locals in Brisbane ( http://www.alfredandconstance.com.au/) and  you can see their design inspiration at every angle around the bar.

 

The Living Room in West Seatle is a true piece of art. The project’s visual centerpiece is a three-story tower covered with 1,000 stainless steel shingles, and it houses a ground level fireplace with a DJ booth on top. Believe it or not, the surrounding the fireplace is comprised of three miles of multi-coloured cording flowing from illuminated ceiling beams, past pink trumpet-shaped blown glass chandeliers and into the backs of matching couches. This café bar draws connections to the geography and regional culture where the design is employed as abstract storytelling.

 

Finally inspiration can come from heritage, community and local landmarks. An example of this is the The Movement,  a community café and poem in Greenwich, designed by Morag Myerscough. The café was designed and built in just 16 days to greet visitors to the London 2012 Olympic equestrian events in Greenwich. It was created in a site left derelict by demolition. The sunken plot was turned into a natural amphitheatre that used recycled shipping containers for the base structure and a tower of scaffolding to hold the words forming a Lemn Sissay poem. This particular café, though simple in design won various awards. The judges said: ‘We like this because it creates a real event out of literally nothing. It embraces hospitality in its true sense – a warm welcome, a meeting place, a sense of togetherness, a team effort. It’s dynamic and it works.’

So whatever your design preference in jewellery, remember to take your inspiration from all aspects of life.