With the lighting design for Fox Friday, we took tired brewery cliches and held them over a barrel. Utilising the authentic nostalgia of a rustic beer brand we gave it a modern focus with the concept of ‘100 years young’. The result is a harmonious marriage between a perfectly preserved space from years past, matched with a prophecy of the contemporary.
The illumination strategy was influenced by a desire to make clientele nestle in for a long time – write a script, read a book, read a comic or bunker in for the evening with someone special. It was not all about attracting groups of men to sample beers and then move on.
The afterclap from the juxtaposition of the bespoke brushed aluminium luminaires against the rustic raw materials of the brewery is captivating. Everything is intentional. Down to the downlights – we even sourced fixtures from decades past and refitted the modules for complete uniformity with 2400k consistency across the location.
And it wasn’t just the brewery cliches we were against – it was a big ‘no, no, no’ to light pollution. Only what needed to be lit is lit. All the fittings in the main areas were designed to move and pivot so that pinpointing the area to be illuminated was as easily accommodated as it was highly flexible. This enabled lighting to only be used where it needed and to create pools of light, harbouring an authentic feel. The last thing we wanted was to fill the space with LED strip.
Using Casambi Bluetooth control, the main custom overhead RGBW showcases pendants in sunken channels that are designed to look as if they are hovering when the retractable roof is peeled back. They change colour throughout the day and align with fixtures in other dining rooms and the brewery space at the back.
It’s a space you just don’t want to leave. People look and feel great under the light, in a further twist and vote of confidence in the concept of 100 years young. It took a brave client but the result speaks for itself. No brewery cliches, no BS. And we can all raise a glass to that.
