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N
estled in the small historic town of
Linlithgow is the recently refurbished,
Bar Leo. KBA+D were commissioned to
rejuvenate the town’s much loved Italian restaurant;
the brief was to inject a sense of style and T
he Ennis Abbey in County Clare is
one of Ireland’s national monuments,
attracting visitors from around the
sophistication working with three anchor points world. And now a new restaurant and bar,
in the space – the bespoke red stone bar, an eight The Cloister, has been partly restored and
metre long hand painted Renaissance style fresco opened to provide visitors and locals alike
and a large circular seating area. with a quality hospitality experience.
To maximize the space, an existing wine store was The Cloister is actually a 13th century
converted into a cosy café area with Cole & Son building with remaining walls and
(see ad opposite) ‘Fiori’ wall covering on the ceiling, windows that overlook the ruins of the
warm merbau flooring punctuated with shocking adjacent abbey. The original main staircase,
pink silk on the feature lighting and ornate frames. part of the walls and cornicing have all
Connecting the café through to the bar – booth been restored and retained to showcase
seating was introduced to add structure to what is a narrow space. Warm leathers were teamed with fresh lime the authenticity of the building while
fabric from Romo, echoing the tones of the colours from the fresco. In a quirky twist table lamps were upturned presenting an interesting juncture between
and fixed to the ceiling. With this feature lighting in an undulating line of pleated shocking pink silk above the the old and the new. The Northern Ireland
booths – clientele are naturally drawn to occupy this area or to explore the restaurant space within. based company, The Deluxe Group (see
The warm merbau floor connects the bar dining to the main restaurant space – curving subtly down a ramp that ad - page 24) became the perfect design
adjoins a curved timber partition offering views through to the diners below in the restaurant space. Walking partner, introducing many new and
down to this space reveals that the curved partition houses a special circular booth for large parties or for those unusual features to the project to create a
requiring more privacy. A large bespoke fibre optic ‘bottle chandelier’ gently pulsates above. In direct view of welcoming and hugely theatrical interior.
the booth and over looking all diners here is the powerful fresco to the right hand wall. To focus its impact, the Coloured LED lighting is used to emphasise
fresco was framed and new spots overhead were angled to scallop the jewel like colours with light. The result is a features and add drama throughout and it’s
dramatic gallery-esque feature wall highlighted through the specification of rich velvets from Zoffany and Today the continuity of the lighting that becomes
Interiors. The general colour palette is muted in buff tones and aubergine to allow the fresco and the fabrics on the the visual link between the older and newer
seating and feature lights to shine through. To soften the route to the rest rooms and more practically to divide parts of the building.
the diners from this space, a weighted double organza partition was introduced utilizing ceiling mounted Silent The Cloister has two restaurants and two
Gliss track Wave system. The organza wall in rustic and damson shimmer curves around and protects diners while bars, a deli style bar to the front and a more
offering a view through to the rest room lobby. formal two-storey bar/restaurant to the rear.
The final result is an interior that reflects the quality of the food and service – a space that puts Linlithgow on The Cloister Bar & Restaurant. Abbey Street,
the map for sophisticated dining in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere – drawing people from Edinburgh and Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.
surrounding areas. Tel: +353 (0)65 6829521
Bar Leo. High Street, Linlithgow, West Lothian. Tel: +44 (0)1506 846667 www.barleo.com
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