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Originally Posted by Spring2008
Bank and Barron opening tomorrow:
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I’m afraid that this post might come off as pretentious so I apologize in advance.
I find the antique dark wooden interiors for pubs ghastly. This design-style is to interior design what Stampetechture is to architecture; its fauxpub. Instead of helping to make the pub look authentic and aesthetically pleasing, it comes off as gimmicky, insincere and fake. It is shame because the time and money put toward making the pub an inviting space could have been spent on an interior design that would make the place looking interesting and like the actual pub the owners are trying to replicate or mimic.
Most of the old world pubs with wooden interiors that I’ve been to were locals that were either dilapidated or not an investment. Basically, these pubs were akin to the neighbourhood pubs you’ll find in strip-malls over here which is something I doubt the owners are of the B&B are looking to replicate. I will admit that I have been in pubs in England that have had nice older-style wooden interiors but these were old pubs that had renovated and kept things rather authentic; something I believe pubs like the B&B are not.
Instead of trying to mimic a style of design from which quality pubs are moving away, I think places like the B&B should relish the great opportunity to achieve their goal (i.e. attracting customer interest through interior design). How? Contemporary pub design. Take a look at one of my locals, it book ends a High Street in a quiet middle to upper middle class Central London neighbourhood.
Pub goers and potential customers are simply looking for environments that look appealing. I highly doubt places like the B&B are attracting great deals of customers because they see a picture of the antique wooden interiors and think, “It looks like a pub in Ireland, I must go!”. In a way, it’s a bit insulting to potential patrons. The pictures above feature an interior design along the lines* of what I think an ambitious pub should follow. But hey, it’s just my take and I have what is probably an unhealthy passion for pubs.
* It doesn’t have to have a hipster like feel and could feature a more modern design.