Once again, Bluespace are proud to announce a new refurbishment at Carrow Road, this time at Delia Smith’s restaurant, Yellows. Alongside their delicious new menu, they needed a new design and an interior to match. With various elements to consider during the project, we’re exceptionally pleased with the final result.
One of the biggest challenges was that we had to retain the same floor, colour scheme and furniture, particularly the black walls. This led to initial concerns that the restaurant would be too dark with a wooden floor and furniture and black walls. To ensure this wouldn’t be a problem, we fitted new track lighting along the ceiling so the lighting was bright enough throughout the space to create a welcoming atmosphere. We also sanded and resealed the existing engineered wooden flooring and replaced the black ceiling, completely transforming the space. The existing furniture was carefully refurbished by our specialist carpenters to give a new lease of life.
Delia Smith acquired the artwork of a local artist Nick Chinnery, and wanted to showcase these in Yellows throughout the restaurant, as they so perfectly capture the unique character and beauty of Norwich. Nick Chinnery brought an element of optimism and fun to the local people of Norwich through these paintings, posting them on social media platforms to simply brighten people’s days during lockdown. His mission was to create and showcase a new painting of a Norwich landmark each day of the last lockdown. The result is an impressive series of 101 paintings which were then purchased by Delia as she felt he had truly captured the beauty of Norwich. These paintings mark an important moment in our history, and to be able to portray such a difficult time for many in such a loving way is certainly something special. The exposed brick wall is nicely broken up by these paintings, bringing character and life to the space.
Our interior designer, Filipe, had the idea to create a new bar front using wooden slats on a black background, reflecting the use of black elsewhere in the restaurant and the slats tie in perfectly with the new flooring finish, creating a fluid space which flows throughout. In addition to this, the wooden slats have become a recurring feature throughout our other work at the football club, especially the Player’s Lounge, creating continuity and an element which is undeniably ‘Bluespace’. We also included LED strips underneath the worktop and at the bottom of the bar which brighten the bar area and create a rather striking feature.
The client mentioned their admiration for the black glass behind the bar in Delia’s restaurant, so we tried to recreate this, but with slight adjustments to ensure it was similar in design to Delia’s but unique and fitted well with the new space, at Bluespace, we never want two jobs to be the same.
Part of the brief given was the importance of the wine display, so we began researching and collaborating ideas to create the bright space seen in the new design. We wanted something which would grab the customers attention and present the wine like a gallery. We designed a back-lit cubic display unit, with each cube showcasing a different bottle of wine which was illuminated from behind, creating an opulent, striking display.
We also refurbished the toilets, ensuring they retained the same colour scheme throughout the restaurant, with blacks and greys and whilst we kept the flooring, we updated the walls, adding new tiles which were off white/ light grey in colour. We also created new vanity units and new cubicles to give the space a new lease of life.
The greeting desk was a vital element to perfect, as it’s often the first impression customers will have of the interior of the restaurant. We created a gloss black with LED strips, providing a modern, contemporary look which mirrored the bar area. We also created a coat storage area behind the desk for customers to leave their jackets, adding functionality to the luxurious design.
We also couldn’t forget the outside of the restaurant; minimal black chairs and tables in addition to some dark grey 1 meter tall plants to create a relaxed and welcoming area for the customers. We also decided to create a new layout for the outside space, adding large planters so the diners could enjoy some privacy.
Since the refurbishment of Yellows, some of the team here at Bluespace went to enjoy some of their delicious food, and can confirm it’s well worth the trip!
