Bringing Banyan to the North East
Working in collaboration with Arc Inspirations and MDA Architects, Fusion By Design were asked to provide the interior design to assist in expanding the portfolio of the Banyan, Bar and Kitchen brand into the North East.
THE BRIEF
Our Brief was to follow suit of the most recent Banyan Bar in Manchester, but with the remit to expand the colour palette and finishes with the addition of some new features to update and make the Newcastle site unique & instagrammable. Bold blues, natural warm oak, copper and botanical prints summarise the design with fresh green and florals adding contrasting highlights.
The ground floor bar has a relaxed ambiance with tan leather benches and sharing tables with booth style seating for relaxed drinking and groups to meet both day and night. Fusion By design introduced raised areas in order to break up the expanse and allow for more intimate feeling zones. The substantial ground floor bar features a timber hexagon patterned bar front with a timber woven raft overhead. The use of timber and weaves are a nod to the botanical namesake ‘Banyan Tree’ and its spread of roots.
THE DESIGN
With a £1.4m spend the iconic site, located at Monument Mall, Newcastle, was transformed into a new bar and restaurant spread across two floors and including a private dining room. A trail of Tom Dixon copper pendant light fittings entice the customer upstairs to the equally generous first floor. The stair position and structure were completely refitted to allow for a more efficient flow of space. An oversized bespoke printed floral wallpaper encases the corridor and wraps over the ceiling complementing the floral display on the adjacent bespoke bench seating. The ladies bathroom feature’s a neon logo with tropical planting framing the full length mirror providing that popular selfie moment.
The significant first floor bar is styled in a more restaurant fashion with formal tables and booths ideal for dining any time of the day overlooking the iconic monument below. The first floor is dominated by the impressive back lit onyx bar which features an illuminated tree structure which wraps up the back-bar fitting and across the ceiling making this a destination bar. Adding to the biophilic concept and nod to the ‘Banyan’ tree, there are ceiling rafts throughout the first floor adorned with varieties of blossom and wisteria, all of which create those all-important instagrammable opportunities. The focal point of the private dining room is a large bespoke dining table manufactured in solid oak with copper butterfly jointing details and a wave of poured blue resin running through the centre mimicking a river through the space.
