Once a Victorian railway viaduct, the now popular visitor attraction Vinopolis at London Bridge hosts The Chivas Room. Found within it's labyrinth of cavernous arches, The Chivas Room is an experimential environment, which honours Chivas Regals' rich heritage, discerning consumer and the Chivas brothers luxurious origins, as purveyors of fine liquors and groceries to Queen Elizabeth.
Chivas Bros, owned by Pernod Ricard, wanted to shake off fusty, old-fashioned perceptions and reinforce Chivas Regal 12’s position as a market leader. Already one of the world’s leading premium blended whiskies, Chivas Bros wanted it to be number one in the increasingly competitive deluxe market, and part of this strategy was to design and recreate an exceptional room for tasting and learning within Vinopolis.
Working with Lauren Courtney Interior Designs, Float Glass Design, a leading architectural glass studio in Brighton, was commissioned to design and produce, the key focus point for this prestigious wine and spirit tasting destination in London.
Float Glass Design created the bar and bar serving area in bronze tones. The main element for this project was three cnc cut panels of 10mm bronze textured glass. Over 5 meters long and just under a half a meter wide it featured the famous Chivas Regal logo.
The smoked glass bespoke bar top smoked uses the traditional technique of slumping to create the de-bossed crown logo, which was sandblasted underneath to diffuse the light source when under lit. The underside of the textured glass is hand gilded with moon gold. The embossed thistle pattern wraps over the bar, where it continues, de-bossed, into the glass top.
The front of the bar is sprayed with liquid brass. The embossed thistle pattern is then hand burnished for a shiny finish, creating a contrast with the matt base texture.
“The bar surface area incorporated many of our bespoke processes; textured, sandblasted, embossing, guilding and so on. It was a complex piece of glass to craft and the end result was truly impressive,” said design director at Float Glass Design, Jane Johansson.
From initial brief to final installation it took Float Glass Design just four weeks to complete the masterpiece.
Over the past three years, Float Glass Design has etched out a name for itself in the hospitality and leisure sector, having also completed some impressive projects for Searcy’s Champagne Bars, working with Interbar, as well as hotels and restaurants throughout the UK including 5 Star hotel and spa, Runnymeade in Surrey.
Float Glass Design can produce to any shape and size, as well as endless bespoke design and finishing processes. It can also accommodate sockets, computer or phone cables by cutting the glass prior to installation.
The company offers sixteen standard textured glass designs, as well as the ability to create bespoke and embossed patterns. Architects and specifiers can also choose from Float Glass Design’s painted glass range, or the have a colour created to match any colour swatch.
For more information about architectural glass design, contact Float Glass Design on 01273 622176, or visit www.floatglassdesign.co.uk <http://www.floatglassdesign.co.uk>
