pub Archives

Brooklyn-based Home Studios has remodelled a bar and restaurant in New York’s East Village, using dark wood and velvet seating to retain a “worn-in and aged appearance”.

The Wren on the busy Bowery thoroughfare has become a neighbourhood staple since opening in 2012, but was ready for an interior revamp.

Entrance area of The Wren with walnut wall panelling and hardwood floors — The Wren has been remodelled in a way that retains its rustic charm

Home Studios refreshed both levels of the upscale pub, including the upper-floor dining and drinking area, and private lounge downstairs.

“Despite the changes in the city and the evolution of the neighbourhood, The Wren has maintained its timeless appeal, offering visitors a glimpse into the past and an authentic pub experience,” said Home Studios, led by founder Oliver Halsegrave.

L-shaped bar with a marble counter and surrounded by wooden stools — The L-shaped bar has a marble counter and is surrounded by GAR Products stools

Across the main level, dark and moody materials have been used to retain the pub-like quality of the spaces, assisted by the exposed wooden ceiling beams and columns, and hardwood floors.

Either side of the entrance, black-painted, booth-style benches are installed against the walnut wall panelling, creating cosy nooks for pairs or small groups to occupy.

Chocolate-coloured velvet banquette featuring ribbed cushions — Towards the back, a chocolate-coloured velvet banquette features ribbed cushions

The bar area features an L-shaped marble counter surrounded by GAR Products stools, opposite black wainscoting that runs below vintage-looking wallpaper.

Towards the back, a long banquette is dressed in ribbed cushions that form the seating and backrests, all wrapped in brown velvet.

Row of custom mirrors alternated with disk-shaped sconces above tables — Custom mirrors alternate with disk-shaped sconces by In Common With

Custom arched shaped mirrors mounted on the walls alternate with disk-shaped sconces by In Common With, against a beige textured plaster backdrop.

A variety of other sconces throughout were sourced from lighting brands including O’Lampia, Shades of Light, Allied Maker and Rejuvenation.

U-shaped both below two windows — Guests can choose from a variety of booths, two-tops or standing areas

“With a worn-in and aged appearance, the space now exudes a moody winter-like atmosphere,” said Home Studios.

Downstairs, the mood is even more “sultry” and intimate, thanks to darker surfaces and a variety of dim, warm lighting sources.

The bar counter is made from Black Portoro marble and the wood floors are also stained black, while the banquette upholstery is a lighter tone than found on the upper level.

Between the two floors, guests can choose from a variety of seating or standing spots for enjoying their beers, cocktails and bar food.

Banquette below walnut panelling and candle sconces — In the private area downstairs, the mood is more sultry and the banquette upholstery is lighter in colour

“Home Studios has seamlessly blended nostalgic and rustic charm throughout The Wren’s interior, creating an inviting and distinctive ambiance that pays homage to the bar’s storied history,” said the team.

Home Studios is no stranger to refreshing beloved establishments, having completed interiors for The Bird in Montauk and The Pearl in Nantucket.

Downstairs area featuring dark-stained floors and a black marble bar counter — The downstairs area features dark-stained floors and a black marble bar counter

The firm also recently turned a conference centre in Northern California back into a luxury hotel, as originally intended by the property’s founder: the inventor of the radio.

The photography is by Brian W Ferry.

Reference

Lime-washed walls meet aluminium display fixtures in this minimalist studio and showroom that designer Hollie Bowden has devised for London brand Completedworks.

Set over two floors of a former pub in Marylebone, it provides space for Completedworks to design and display its jewellery and ceramics, as well as to host an array of craft-focused classes.

Completedworks studio designed by Hollie Bowden features minimalist interior — Hollie Bowden has designed a studio and showroom for Completedworks

The brand was established in 2013 and up until now, has largely been sold via high-end department stores such as Dover Street Market and Liberty. But founder Anna Jewsbury felt it was time for Completedworks to have its own brick-and-mortar space.

“We increasingly had clients asking to come and see our pieces in person but felt that we didn’t have a space that felt considered and reflected our vision,” she said. “We wanted people to be able to enter our world and get to know us, and for us to get to know them.”

For the design of the showroom, Jewsbury worked with London-based designer Hollie Bowden, who naturally looked to the brand’s jewellery for inspiration.

This can be seen for example in the hammered-metal door handles that appear throughout the studio and directly reference the creased design of the gold Cohesion earrings.

“[Completedworks] is known for the beauty of the textural surfaces and flowing almost baroque forms,” Bowden explained. “We developed a display language that played off that, with minimal details and strict lines.”

Almost every surface throughout the studio is washed in beige-toned lime paint, with only a few slivers of the original brick walls and a worn metal column left exposed near the central staircase.

Bowden used brushed aluminium to create a range of display fixtures, including chunky plinths and super-slender shelving units supported by floor-to-ceiling poles.

The space also houses a couple of angular aluminium counters for packing orders that include discrete storage for boxes and subtle openings, through which tissue paper or bubble wrap can be pulled.

A slightly more playful selection of colours and materials was used for the studio’s custom furnishings.

In the main showroom, there’s a modular display island sheathed in lilac linen. Meanwhile in the office, designer Byron Pritchard – who is also Bowden’s partner – created a gridded wooden cabinet inlaid with translucent sheets of paper, intended to resemble a traditional Japanese shoji screen.

This isn’t Bowden’s first project in London’s affluent Marylebone neighbourhood.

Previously, the designer created an office for real estate company Schönhaus, decking the space out with dark-stained oak and aged leather to emulate the feel of a gentleman’s club.

The photography is by Genevieve Lutkin.

Reference

pub

Home Studios refreshes The Wren pub on NYC’s Bowery

Hollie Bowden converts London pub into Completedworks showroom

Get in touch

about us

Company info

Useful Links

Newsletter