064 ADVERTORIAL
Reviving heritage: Manchester’s literary hub and Lódz’s riverside dining
THE HOUSE OF BOOKS & FRIENDS is a thriving community hub on King Street in the heart of Manchester. Alongside a wide selection of literature, this beautifully designed venue offers good coffee and conversation in its mission to combat loneliness.
It operates as a community interest company (CIC) that wishes to bring people together. Te doors opened to everyone with a simple message: ‘When We Read, We Are Not Alone’. Te Grade II listed building is the former home of the Liberal Party Reform Club. In its repurposed state, the venue offers visitors an attractive front-of-house area that leads into the bookshop, complete with a café and rear events space. Te inventive use of various products from Polyflor’s Expona Commercial range brought the original features of the building to life.
Sian Astley from Moregeous Design led interior design duties. Her brief was to ensure that the newly renovated interior complemented the surrounding historic architecture with a vintage classic style. When considering her flooring options, the colour scheme and pattern had to heighten the treasure trove of decorative items while simultaneously withstanding heavy footfall from visitors. Astley subsequently specified a combination of Expona Commercial LVT tiles and planks across each area. She also enjoyed experimenting with flooring patterns, creating a French weave ‘rug’ for the café seating area, which offered a central focus. As visitors walk beyond the café into the magnificent events space, the light flooring tones become noticeably darker and increasingly atmospheric, with their attractive shades reflecting the coffered ceiling above.
Tis exemplary artistic direction showcases character at every turn. ‘Each space has its own personality,’ confirms Astley. ‘Great designs, hard- wearing surfaces, and good sustainability credentials. What’s not to love?.’
Historic spaces, modern faces Ukryte Rzeki – translated as Hidden Rivers – is a visually striking restaurant in Lód, Poland, inspired by the scenic Jasie River that flows beside it. While
concealed beneath the courtyard of the Geyer Gardens, this revitalised industrial building offers an alluring location for guests to enjoy fine fusion dining. Its overall aesthetic boasts a strikingly modern interior, balancing brickwork with contemporary tiles, lighting, plants and soft furnishings.
Te restaurant underwent a major refurbishment last year, led by Boko Architects. Its design team faced challenges specifying its flooring, the hardest-working element of any hospitality environment. It was essential to balance
aesthetics with easy maintenance, cost- effectiveness and durability, allowing customers to enjoy the relaxed ambience with their fellow diners while staff safely circulated each room.
Tey opted to install Expona
Commercial LVT, selecting Arctic Mosaic (5094) and Granite Mosaic (5095) in the main hall, dining area and bathrooms. Te chosen designs showcased white with black veins and vice versa, which
Top and
above right: Hidden Rivers
Above left
House of Books and Friends
worked in unison when combined across substantial floor spaces. Tey also boasted a distressed structure and refined finish that seamlessly matched the post-industrial mood within these prominent areas.
Furthermore, it was easy for flooring contractors to cut the tiles during installation, creating patterns that allowed the formation of clear zones throughout the premises.
‘An attractive interior is one of the most important factors contributing to the success of a restaurant, and flooring design comprises a key part of this,’ affirmed Michal Sieja, regional manager, Polyflor. ‘At Ukryte Rzeki, we helped to create a stunning space with the knowledge that our flooring also serves a practical purpose.’
POLYFLOR t +44 (0)161 767 1111 w
polyflor.com
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