CASE STUDY
The project aimed to draw in a new, younger demographic to the heritage building, whilst maintaining and restoring the hotel for its existing, regular guests. As an all-day venue, the design needed to support early morning guests while offering a premium, luxury experience fit for evening cocktails.
Carefully zoning the space into separate function rooms using curtains rather than solid walls allowed flexible use throughout the day. JB-ID purposefully selected a colour scheme that took heavy influence from the original stained glass windows, allowing the building’ s vibrant history to stand out, whilst feeling modern and welcoming. Bespoke items like carpet design and bar finishes were influenced by local features such as a local sculpture and further reinforce the project’ s connection to place.
JaneJaney and Studio M – Soho Theatre Walthamstow A regeneration project of the former EMD Cinema / Granada building, the Soho Theatre in Walthamstow was transformed from shell space into a comfortable, workable modern 1000 seater theatre complete with bars, a cafe and community space. Tasked with thoughtfully blending the unique personality of the cinema with the character of its new owners, the design needed to honour the building’ s history while ensuring the venue was comfortable, functional and able to generate income.
Accessibility and inclusivity were central to the design. Elements were incorporated to ensure wheelchair uses can access every space, and accessibility counters were installed to the bars and cafe. Layout was carefully considered so that spaces wouldn’ t clash or overcrowd.
Traditional theatre design methods were used as the defining creative approach to the project. By using handcrafted methods such as model boxes and hand drawings, stakeholders were able to understand and buy into the design intention. As a high-profile
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