Studio Two refines the Leeds restaurant with oceanic hues and water-like metallics to pay homage to historical ship, The Titanic.
Studio Two has worked with The Cut & Craft on many of their restaurant sites. This time, the casual premium dining brand appointed the designers for their recently acquired venue in Victoria Quarter, Leeds.
Made up of two former retail units, The Cut & Craft sits in a prestigious grade II listed building. A £1.3million refit has resulted in a multiuse restaurant and dining space with two standalone bars, a high impact meet and greet area and a distinctive open theatre kitchen to heighten guests’ experiences.
Despite the generous budget, original features of the building have been preserved and celebrated through crafted joinery, amplified with texture. Light also plays a big part; Studio Two worked with designers, Mistry Lighting, to implement a range of decorative fittings and architectural illumination to create a dynamic and impactful space. “Working with the clients established branding, we were keen to enhance the ‘Cut & Craft’ identity throughout the space whilst designing to our carefully curated concept,” comment the Studio Two team.
Fashioned on the tale of the British passenger liner The Titanic’s bandmaster, Wallace Hartley, who played in nearby Bradford at Collinson’s Café as part of their regular string quartet, the restaurant’s design concept is massively influenced by the colour blue. “We experimented with several shades before collating an array of tones that were strong, striking [and] welcoming yet regal,” the team continues. “We used the colour to embellish key areas of the space such as the reception, booth seating and the unmissable bar. We ensured the blue was standalone and paired with sympathetic more muted hues, creating a crucial sense of harmony.”
Spatially, the restaurant is representative of ship-like tiers which surround the rooms ‘engine’ – or in this venue’s case, a central and circular bar. Designed to sit under a historical glass dome, the room’s centrepiece acts as a focal point for visitors to acknowledge the restaurant’s atmosphere and history.
Upstairs on the first floor sits a newly constructed champagne bar, designed to represent ‘the pearl of the ocean’. Back-lit onyx worktops and pearl wallpapers have been aligned with a standalone luminescent bar for VIP guests to enjoy. Elsewhere, the restrooms further embody The Titanic design concept with reflective ceiling finishes, intimate mood lighting and impactful wallpapers.
