Small midlands business BEAR shortlisted for the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards

Published On Tuesday 19 Jun 2018 by Sticky Beak
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Now in its tenth year, the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards is a globally recognised competition dedicated to the design of food and beverage spaces. Entries from over 70 countries cover every imaginable hospitality space; From ships to airports, museums to burger vans, from revered Michelin-starred establishments to the fleeting dynamism of pop-ups.

On 14th June, the team behind The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards announced their shortlist from the 2017/2018 entries. The shortlist includes 257 projects across 34 categories from the world’s leading architects, interior designers, lighting designers and restaurant and bar operators. Amongst the shortlisted venues is midlands-based BEAR, an independent coffee house, kitchen and bar venue situated in Derby’s historical Cathedral Quarter.

Along with their design & architecture team turnerbates, BEAR is up for the award of ‘Bar or Restaurant in a Heritage Building’, and if you’ve been in to visit the store you’ll understand why. BEAR is situated inside a listed Victorian ex-bank building, and the interior design has been carefully developed to highlight and compliment the original architecture of the space. Craig Bunting, Co-Founder of BEAR, said:

“We’re inconceivably proud and excited about our store being shortlisted for this internationally-recognised award! The incredible amount of thought and work that turnerbates have invested in the development of BEAR Derby really resonates in the store and we couldn’t be happier with what we’ve created together. As a brand, we are really committed to the authenticity of our spaces and the atmosphere we can create within them, and working with the amazing team at turnerbates has allowed us to easily translate and manifest this within our stores.”

The design for BEAR Derby evolved alongside the development of their flagship Uttoxeter site into an all-day environment, from a coffee and dining space to a late night bar with cocktails. turnerbates drew inspiration from BEAR’s well-established brand identity, referencing the influence of outside spaces and the Victorian architecture of the building in the colour palette. The colours also hint to the countries in which coffee originates, and highlight BEAR’s creativity and dedication to craft coffee with bespoke wall artwork displaying the process of coffee making. Through the use of lighting, and emphasis on the state of the art coffee machine and cocktail bar as the hub of the shop, turnerbates encourage visitors to relax and enjoy the space from morning until late evening.

The winners of the 2018 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards (including Best Overall winners) will be announced during a ceremony at London’s King’s Cross on the 4th October. Past judges from hospitality, design and lifestyle media include Tony Chambers (Editor in Chief of Wallpaper*), Alberto Alessi, Marcus Wareing and Thomas Heatherwick.

We’re wishing the very best of luck to BEAR and turnerbates!