ABERDEEN bar and restaurant Society has been given a new look – and it’s gone down a storm with its Granite City customers.
The Union Street outlet was revamped earlier this year in a bid to keep it at the forefront of the going out scene.
And general manager Gareth Winchester told SLTN feedback so far has been “very positive”.
Designed by Aberdeen-based Dab Architecture, the interior features booths separated by chain mail – providing guests privacy while still being able to see the rest of the venue.
Other areas in the main ground floor bar have been furnished with a mix of black leather fixed seating, low and high chairs upholstered in black or purple fabric and low-slung and poseur tables.
Upstairs, the mezzanine level is dominated by a large purple leather Chesterfield-style booth with diamanté buttons and tables inlaid with illuminated Champagne buckets.
Strip LED lighting gives the venue a purple wash.
Gareth told SLTN the two-week, £110,000 revamp has added a feeling of warmth to a venue first launched by Ask Entertainment in summer 2008.
“Bars have a general life-span, especially style bars, so it’s important to move forward with trends,” he told SLTN.
“It’s about holding on to people. Footfall isn’t a problem here but it has to be comfortable with a good atmosphere, which will encourage people to stay longer.
“The designer was great at capturing what we wanted; it was a mixture of ideas from both sides.
“We wanted to give the place a lift by creating a more dynamic space and Kerr’s design along with the Society team’s input has helped create the buzz we were looking for.
“The large booth upstairs is the centre point. It’s very popular, people want to reserve it, and there’s a separate bar upstairs too so it works really well.
“It was good before but it’s great now.
“We’ve had very positive feedback on the design and we’re backing that up with a quality product – drinks and service.
“The response we have received so far has been great and we hope this will help us in our continuing growth on the Aberdeen bar and restaurant scene.”
Kerr Byers, who founded Dab Architecture with Katherine Davies in 2009, said the refurbishment has given Society a “radical new look”.
“Society is one of the most popular bars in Aberdeen so to be given the chance to put our stamp on it has been very rewarding,” he said.
“It’s always great to work with a client who has a clear vision of what they want but at the same time is also receptive to new ideas.
“We have managed to create a vibrant new look for the venue and the overall feedback has already been extremely encouraging.
“This was undoubtedly one of our more challenging projects as the social scene in Aberdeen is very competitive but Society will reap the rewards of the refit.”
