Glasgow rock n’ roll institution Maggie Mays has turned up the volume with a £400k makeover commissioned by Oli Norman and Stephen White, who bought over the popular Merchant City haunt from Colin Beattie last September.
With the goal of giving the late night bar/restaurant/club an amped up new look without losing its edgy, rock n’ roll atmosphere, they enlisted local interior design company Surface ID to give the place a major facelift – a first since it opened as Maggie’s in 2006.
The majority of the venue has been completely ripped out and refurbished. An eight-week job by Surface ID and shop fitters Dimension was made more challenging as the bar remained open at weekends. Surface ID co-director Claire Kinna told DRAM, “We worked Monday to Thursday and then turned it back into Maggie’s trading bar in time for the weekend and started again on Sunday night. It was a phenomenal amount of work, especially for Dimension, but essential as the owners didn’t want to lose the Maggie’s crowd.”
Claire admitted that undertaking such a drastic refurbishment of a venue that’s been popular in the city for over two decades was another challenge. She added, “The good thing about Maggie’s is you get everyone from students to grannies coming here so we didn’t want to alienate anyone. It’s a big change. We tried to keep it as Maggie’s but give it more rock and roll feel and keep it “sleazy” for want of a better word, and give it some much-needed TLC. Mostly everything is new, from the furniture to the sound system to the loos.”
The venue still lives and breathes music but there’s now an emphasis on food as the new Maggie’s Buns menu is rolled out. The new food offering, which focuses on an American diner-style menu, has a new dining area to match. The restaurant is now open plan with a bright, laid-back and slightly industrial feel and has a mix of tall tables and comfy leather booths and seats upholstered in blue, red and turquoise by Lecs Upholstery to match the Maggie’s Buns branding.
A huge canopy of metal rods and naked light bulbs created by Scott Associates Sculptures & Design Lt is a real feature in here and draws the eye to open kitchen and back wall, where tattooed Maggie herself makes an appearance beside a repeat pattern of the Maggie’s Buns branding.
Claire said, “Oli really wanted to push the food so we needed to crack the restaurant. Before it was not only separate from the bar but completely at odds with the design and very traditional. We’ve opened it out as much as possible and have gone for a laid back look that’s somewhere between a rock bar and an American diner. It’s a really different, cool space.”
The main bar’s layout is largely the same; brightened with a grey and white colour scheme and opened out with plenty more seating available. There’s American diner style booths, each with its own TV screen, durable bench seating made from huge chunks of treated timber and metal girders and a few high tables. Comfortable seating between the bar and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the Trongate is designed for customers to enjoy a coffee or food during the day.
The new seating has beefed up the number of covers from 184 to 302. Claire explained, “The idea was that customers can enjoy the Maggie’s Buns menu anywhere in the venue so we’ve given customers more choice in terms of seating with the mix of booths and big sharing tables which are great for when the place is mobbed.”
With live music remaining the soul of Maggie May’s (it will now feature seven nights a week), a new corner stage has been added in the bar with a colourful backdrop of vinyl records and album sleeves from iconic bands including Iron Maiden and Maggie May singer Rod Stewart.
A big investment has been sunk into a powerful new sound system installed by SSUK, who have also hooked up a live video feed from the bar to multiple TV screens dotted around the venue that show everything from sport to a live stream of gigs playing upstairs or down in the club.
The bar also has a new look. Its deep red mahogany top has been blasted and restrained grey for a brighter finish, and is clad with a mix of grey reclaimed tiles and rows of up-cycled wooden broom handles. A gantry made from heavy chains and metal shelves is another eye-catching feature.
Keeping with the rock vibe, electric guitars and drum kits snared in fairy lights hang from the walls around the venue and above the stairs that lead down to the basement club, along with a custom red neon light fittings that screams “Get your rocks off”.
Major changes have also been made to the basement club, which has been opened up with more seating added, including, and a new stage area. There’s more music memorabilia here too, with gig posters, instruments, and microphones displayed in metal cages and on the wall above snug red leather booths.
Claire said, “We completely gutted the basement club. There were lots of screens and dividers so we’ve opened up so it can work better as a live venue. There’s big booths so people can eat down here too and we’ve added a new bar gantry with a light up “Rock” sign.”
She added, “It definitely has an edgy, slightly American feel. We wanted to keep what I’d call the “sleaziness” that Maggie’s had so we’ve added red neon lighting that creates the familiar Maggie May’s black and red look that makes me think of an American rock club.”
Regulars have already shared their approval of the new look on Facebook, a sign that those involved in the refurbishment have succeeded in amping up the Maggie’s Glaswegians know and love but still keeping the focus on laid-back dining, live music, sport, late nights and a healthy dose of rock n’ roll.
Cail Bruich in Glasgow’s West End may, for the time being, still be under scaffolding, but the interior is looking great. Owned by chef Chris Charalambous and brother Paul, the restaurant has just had a make-over, which although subtle and classic, has already won the heart of its customers.
Chris explains, “We’ve had the restaurant seven years, and we couldn’t take it any further the way it was. We did what we could over the recession and that has given us the opportunity to invest in it now. Both the kitchen and the toilets were dire and front of house wasn’t in great shape either.”
So he called in designers Surface id. Says Chris, “We knew them and we knew some of the work that they had done including Stravaigin and the Ubiquitous Chip, and Ian was familiar with the restaurant because he dines here. But we didn’t have an unlimited budget so we kept some stuff and invested for the long-term where we thought it was needed.”
As a result, the restaurant now has a spanking new open-plan kitchen, new toilets – all of which have been completely tiled and refitted, and a classy front of house area, which has been reconfigured slightly to allow an extra two covers.
Says Chris, “The kitchen, which was put in by RH Morton, has now become a feature of the restaurant. We didn’t have a massive space to work with. We’ve put in a new combi oven, induction hobs which are energy efficient, and make the kitchen cooler, and we have got a French Plancha – a high end griddle that also gets very hot, but doesn’t radiate the heat. We have also put in a big green egg! A ceramic charcoal fired grill that allows us to BBQ meat, fish and vegetables. It gives us a USP, there are only a couple of other places that have one. But the main thing is the kitchen is now a much nicer environment for us all to work in.”
There was always a hatch from the kitchen that looked into the dining room, but this has been completely opened out and now stretches almost the width of the room. The kitchen has been tiled with white tiles, and in front of the kitchen there is now a high chef’s dining table that doubles up as a waiter’s station. Says Chris, “This is actually one of my favourite changes. The bar, to the left was always there, and one night we were talking about the refurbishment and it just came out, what about creating a chef’s table? We phoned Surface-id in the morning and said, ‘We need to talk.’ I think it has been one of the most successful changes. People can eat at the table, or can have a drink there while they are waiting for their table, and we can also use it as a waiter’s station. The extra two covers can amount to an extra £500 a week for us.”
The chef’s table sits immediately in front of the kitchen and in front of the slate statement wall. Chris comments, “It’s original slate and it ties in with the theme of the restaurant – the walls are a slate grey, and the slate has hints of copper which tie in with our copper lighting.”
The lighting is quite distinctive – along the walls there are copper pendants which hang over each table from what appears to be thin wrought iron arms. While two large bespoke black lampshades light the centre of the restaurant.
Says Chris, “We spent a lot on the light fixtures, but everyone comments on them.”
The fixed seating which runs the length of both sides of the room is upholstered in a deep red faux leather, while small cushions adorn them. All the table tops are new, although the bases already existed, and the dark rosewood finish looks classy. The bar has been modified and now boasts a new wine rack, but it doesn’t look vastly different. While the walls, apart from the lighting has no other adornments. Says Chris, “We wanted the refurbishment to look natural and organic. It had to be a reflection of our own personalities, and to have soul and heart.”
Certainly this is a real family business. Chef Chris is supported by his brother Paul, who although has moved down South, is the wine expert in the business, father Demetri who is front of house and mother Isabella who does all the books and HR.
Chris comments, ‘I came to chefing quite late – I didn’t start until I was 21/22 and initially I worked at the Quarriers Charity and helped set up restaurant training for adults with learning problems. When the funding for this ran out, I took over the restaurant. Then in 2006 I moved here and the rest of my family joined in.”
He continues, “We care about what we do. And with the Glasgow food scene burgeoning we find that we can be a bit more adventurous.”
However having spent a season working at Noma in Copenhagen I asked him whether he had ever thought about bringing elements of Noma to his Glasgow restaurant. Says Chris, ‘I don’t think Glasgow is ready for live ants, and some of the other unusual dishes. But it was a great experience for me, after all it is the number one restaurant in the World.”
He continues, “I believe the strength of Cail Bruich comes through our consistency. The food is as good on a Tuesday as it is on a Saturday. We try and serve tasty food, well executed and seasonal. It’s not super adventurous.”
But he does admit that the last few weeks, following the refurbishment have been a bit stressful. He explains, “People have expectations and it is seems as if post refurbishment that they are expecting everything to be better. We are doing our best to make sure their expectations are fullfilled.”
He continues, “We are all very motivated. And although it has been a big investment for us we are confident that it will pay off. And come May when all the refurbishment to the outside of the building is complete, we will be ready to take Cail Bruich into the future. We are definitely here for the long-term.”
The Crafter’s Barn in Edinburgh is a project born of passion. Managing Director Byron Holland and his partner Amber Rashid spent five years working on private motorboats around the globe. During a stop-off in the US Virgin Islands, the couple visited a pizzeria and beer bar, where Amber asked for a glass of wine and was rebuffed. She was presented instead with a bottle of Belgian cherry beer. “That’s where it started really”, Byron told DRAM, “and from then on we looked for a Belgian bar at every port we happened to stop.” After five years the couple returned to the UK, intent on working for themselves and replicating the passion for hospitality that they had found on their travels. From there, The Crafter’s Barn was born, a small, boutique, Belgian beer bar.
With a Belgian beer menu featuring over 50 of the country’s finest dubbels, tripels and Trappist ales, as well as rotating draught offerings, Byron and Amber’s influence is apparent. The cocktail list even features homemade, Belgian beer ingredients, such as Leffe marmalade and Belle Vue Kriek jam. Gourmet pizzas are the house speciality – Byron spent a week in Naples learning the art of pizza-making, and the kitchen imports its base ingredients from Italy. Steaks are served on lava stones, allowing the customer to cook their meal to preference, and it would be remiss not to also mention the Belgian mussel pots available in four different sauces.
As you approach The Crafter’s Barn, you are struck by the minimalist signage and branding on the exterior, intended to maximise the venue’s natural surroundings. Few bars in Scotland can boast as breathtaking a view as The Crafter’s Barn, its large windows facing out over Central Edinburgh and the bustle of human traffic making their way between Princes Street and the castle. Customers can gaze lazily at this view from The Mound as they are absorbed into the couch seating which sits either side of the bar’s entrance.
Designers Surface ID were responsible for the creation of the concept through to the completion, working from Byron and Amber’s precise brief. Byron explains, “We wanted to create a reclaimed, industrial warehouse vibe while maintaining a homely atmosphere. The throws over the back of the banquettes, for example, help soften the interior without detracting from the urban feel about the place.”
The original stone walls are lined with banquette leather seating on one side and intimate booth seating on the other. French cafe chairs were provided by Andy Thornton Ltd, featuring an antique white finish and a typically vintage style. Wooden light fixtures constructed from reclaimed storage pallets hang above the tables on the banquette side, dangling bulbs of assorted lengths like over-sized fairy lights.
Perhaps The Crafter’s Barn’s most distinctive feature is the bespoke, communal high table that runs through the centre of the restaurant. The table top is moulded from reclaimed industrial timber, with a key clamp scaffolding system supporting the wood from the floor to the ceiling. The effect is striking, and undeniably unique. It also makes the most of the bar’s room space, creating an area for larger groups to mingle without infringing on the intimacy of the banquette and booth seating. Five factory barstools line either side of the high table, with heavy duty steel tube bases and distressed leather on the front and back.
The bar area is tucked away at the rear of the venue, though it remains a focal point of the overall design. Perhaps most striking of all is the industrial mesh hanging gantry above the bar, which Byron explains is a unique way of maximising storage space while simultaneously providing a talking point for his customers. He’s not wrong – it’s another excellent example of the designers making the most of the limited space. Behind the bar sit two bespoke, branded beer barrels which dispense the bar’s rotating guest draught products. These are wired into The Crafter’s Barn’s cellar, creating the illusion that the beers are pouring directly from the barrels themselves.
Opposite the bar area, a private booth for two has been carved into the tiled walls, replacing a formerly redundant waiter’s station with an altogether more personal alternative. Simon Cameron from Surface ID told us, “It was basically a dead space, so we were looking to turn it into a unique seating area.” Blackboards line the walls above, detailing the latest guest draught and bottled beers on offer.
There is a small outdoor seating area to the side of the building, featuring upturned barrels from the Eden brewery which serve as quirky tabletops. Byron has ambitions to expand this area in the coming months, installing reclaimed timber plant pots to grow herbs for the kitchen, and permission is currently pending from the council for street seating at the front of the bar.
THE Glasgow club scene has a new player with the opening of city centre club KOKOMO on West Regent Street. Fraser Wilson went along to see the venue for himself.
Glasgow’s club scene remains full to the brim. But, with the increase in the number of late night entertainment licenses for bars across the city, standing out from the crowd and appealing to customers is now harder than ever.
The latest venture from the owners of Bamboo and Bunker, KOKOMO is geared certainly a ‘classy joint’. They say the club is a new interpretation of the nightclub and bar concept offering “bar, club, music and bites”.
As you walk in through the glass fronted double doors on West Regent Street, a high finish black tiled step stands out with gold lettering of the club name, before a feature wall takes your eyes from the ceiling down the winding stair case to the club entrance. An array of wooden K, O, and M letters, different shades and sizes, make up the impressive wall, which grabs your attention from the moment you step inside.
As you come down the stairs into the club, which was designed by Surface ID, a warm, gold glow greets you. Broaching the threshold further, the eye is taken to the right of the room, as three cage like, wrought iron booths dominate one half of the room, reminiscent of something from an extravagant Vegas club.
To the left a long, sweeping L-shape bar draws the eye to the back of the room. As you turn to the left, there is a large seating area which includes unusual mirrored prism shapped posing tables, a fitted seating area, which is lavishly upholstered in gold. The seats give feature light gold leather trianglular panels rising like a sun from the black leather base of the banquette. Behind these booths, white, 3D diamond clad wall features are lit by spotlights, with a light beige wallpaper supporting this.
The kitchen and service area to the is also located in this area, and renowned burger specialists, Buddies, has been tasked with supplying the burgers. The area is quite unassuming.
In contrast there is a spacious dance floor, which definitely stands out, surrounded by benches and tabled booths.
The main features of the room are the pillared, circled booths, with customers having to walk round, away from the main dance floor, to gain entrance to them. These provide a secluded seating area, and again have a highend luxury feel with gold leatherlike uphostery, and dinky silver stools with small round reflective tables. The Parlour VIP is situated further through, and offers revellers a more private area to enjoy their evening. The sultry decor is complimented by high-end spirits and Champagne. Access to this comes at the end of the long, main bar, with a compact, well-lit corridor taking customers towards the VIP area on the left and the toilets further down on the right.
The Parlour includes two seated areas, its own bar, sound system and intimate party atmosphere. Dark wooden floors merge with dark leather booths, offset by silver barrel like stools and vibrant red cushions.
Squared shelving, well lit and with a full back mirror and spotlights, house expensive bottles of Champagne, and mirrored panels on the ceiling feature red strip lights. Detailed wood panelling offers an element of interest and texture to the walls, whilst the sizeable floor space allows for groups to mingle and dance.
Throughout the venue the lighting is subtle, but yet manages to highlight the clubs distinctive features.
Back in the main room, to the right of the DJ booth, more seating is available, with a punchy purple wallpaper and paint coating the ceiling, whilst a number of lights provide a feature for dancers, as they strobe on and off during the DJ set.
The creators here have produced a spacious, easy to navigate club, with a large dance floor and plenty of seating.
There is no doubt about it this is a club which has some unusual features. It offers a modern take on art deco, with its use of shapes and colours, but offers a great space – combining comfortable seating areas with enough room to enjoy a dance too. Glasgow’s club scene could have a new heir to the throne.
A huge canopy of metal rods and naked light bulbs created by Scott Associates Sculptures & Design Lt is a real feature in here and draws the eye to open kitchen and back wall, where tattooed Maggie herself makes an appearance beside a repeat pattern of the Maggie’s Buns branding.