Project Team

design: Greg Harris
architects:
CNN Group
av:
ATK

Suppliers

furniture: Vast Interior

Recently renovated and revamped in early 2013 the new look Embassy Bar is the first established craft beer bar in the Brisbane CBD.

The building was built in 1928 which makes the Embassy one of Brisbane’s oldest pubs. The owners wanted to bring back the history of the building which was covered during a previous renovation. The brickwork, original terrazzo flooring and ornate bulkead were all exposed to achieve this.

It was important to remove themselves totally from what the Embassy used to be and bring a warmth into the venue by using classic colours, patterns and textures. The aim was to draw on the history of the building to create a place where a younger and older customer would feel comfortable.

The main theme is based around an industrial motif keeping things simple, using the bar’s history and raw materials such as concrete, wood and metal. Complimented by the tungsten Edison style lighting, the bar gives off a warm ambience.

The owners wanted the three main rooms to have a unique feel about them, however, ladder each up to the overarching theme. The entry has a restaurant vibe with more seating to compliment the kitchen. The bar area has a diversity of high and low furniture with ample standing as it is the area with the highest traffic. Upstairs they went for a lounge feel to cater for the after work drinking crowd.

The lighting ties the concept together with unique light fixtures using the older tungsten Edison style light bulbs and galvanized piping created. The warm glow amplifies the wood grain, pressed metal, and concrete floors to create a relaxed environment.

The project was all about telling the story of the Embassy’s history. 400yr old Russian oak covers the main wall in the bar and key pillars in the front room. A 200yr old Indian door which partitions the mezzanine level from the toilets was also sourced. Part of the air conditioning duct was removed to show off the antique bulk head that has been hidden for the past decade.

The owners have another venue in Brisbane called the Transcontinental that once upon a time used to be a jazz club. As they were storing the old furniture from the Embassy there during the renovation, they stumbled upon some of the old posters that used to adorn the walls during that era. They are now featured at the entrance of the Embassy and the mezzanine wall. It was one of those lucky finds that really gives some character to the place.

Jason Roesler from ATK looked after the audio visual needs with two new projector screens installed by Smart Home Audio visual.