London Bridge's Bold New Venue Merges History with Futurist Flair
Multi-award-winning interior designers, Ellis Design Studio have designed the new flagship Electric Shuffle venue at the iconic London Bridge, located in the very heart of central London.
Following on from their work at Electric Shuffle Canary Wharf, Ellis Design Studio where approached to complete the Central London location to hopefully mirror the success of the first site.
The venue comprises over 8,000 sq.ft of space, located directly under the concourse of London Bridge Station within five historic Victorian brick vault arches. Ellis Design Studio have converted these grand and atmospheric vaults into a spectacular new venue, comprising two show stopping bars and 10 shuffle table play spaces. The venue has been meticulously designed to deliver a dramatic, experiential and conceptual space, showcasing the spectacular Victorian architecture still present below London Bridge station.
The design takes inspiration from the location of the venue at London Bridge and its function as a major transport hub. This idea of connectivity and dynamism are explored within the design with nods to both the transport aesthetic and the Art Deco period as a golden age of travel.
Ellis Design Studio Managing Director, Alan Ellis, told PREMIER HOSPITALITY MAGAZINE: "London Bridge is such an iconic location so I think it was very important to us to contextualise it and also give a slight nod to how important that location is. It is a centre of gravity for movement and energy so that was the idea behind bringing the location into the design."
The main bar design comprises beautifully complex triptych of arches designed to regress telescopically into the geometry of the existing brick archway. The bar includes a layering of hand painted finishes, bespoke wallpapers and custom designed joinery and metalwork detailing. The bar's design was inspired by the movement of light as it regresses through tunnels. This idea fuses the electrical-inspired aesthetic of Electric Shuffle with the train & transport inspired elements of the scheme.
The second bar comprises a series of elongated sinuous arches, creating a sense of dramatic verticality within the space. The bar sits as a focal point stretching between the last two arches and its design was inspired by the complex arrangements of vaults and arches frequently seen in railway station architecture. Custom made chrome hemispheres set within the hand painted, illuminated arches are suggestive of over-sized rivets and the industrial-inspired ribbed timber and metal strapping details pay homage to the railway inspired aesthetic.
Custom designed lighting and bespoke designed materials reference Electric Shuffle's Art Deco aesthetic but have been reimagined and overlaid with nods to elements of train & transport inspired aesthetics. Elements such as the dramatic oversized brass chandeliers, which run throughout the venue, have been custom designed by the Studio to pay homage to the iconic lighting found in grand railway concourses of the 20th Century.
Bespoke timber joinery has been designed to run as a central band wrapping the perimeter walls of the venue. This provides a visual and physical framework to the spaces as well as lending a sense of rhythm and continuity. The panelling, which utilises a mixture of ribbed timber, pleated velvets, metal meshes and textured glass is reminiscent of the forms found within vintage train carriage detailing.
As part of the brief, the beautifully designed shuffleboard tables have been further evolved by the Studio to suit the complex geometry of the venue's architecture.
The shuffle table design is inspired by the aesthetic of the grand ocean liners, on which the game had its original heyday, a design which perfectly complements the design inspiration of the London Bridge scheme. Curvilinear forms in the timber and decorative copper pipework reinforce the Art Deco aesthetic along with inlaid copper details, leather upholstered detailing and laser cut metal elements, which bring together a mix of classic and contemporary, Deco and industrial. A new dramatic cantilevered metalwork feature, which includes pleated velvet and mesh detailing, has been custom designed for the venue to support lighting and enclose & enhance the tables, reinforces the transport inspired aesthetic.
The idea of connectivity and dynamism are further explored through the use of dramatic wall mural art within the venue. The large-scale hand painted work takes inspiration from the Futurist art movement and in particular pays homage to a school of early 20th Century British artists who worked under the banner of 'Vortism.' Their work was inspired by the kinetic energy brought to transportation through the use of electricity and the Studio has taken inspiration from this idea of movement electrification and energy.
The Studio has created a beautifully designed, dramatic and conceptual interior to form an engaging and original, multi-layered scheme.
Ellis Design Studio weaves together clear design narratives in their work through an artisanal approach, focused on meticulous detailing and beautiful craftsmanship. The Studio works with a range of experts with experience across a vast array of fields including lighting & furniture designers, fine artists, ceramicists, glassblowers, metalworkers and artisans to name a few. Consequently, their work is imbued with a sense of provenance, uniqueness and a carefully crafted element of storytelling.
Alan said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be working with this client again as they have allowed us the complete freedom to realise our vision right down to the smallest details. Working on this flagship venue in such an iconic location as London Bridge, has been an honour. It is incredibly important to the studio and it has been a privilege to be able to bring Electric Shuffle London Bridge to life"
