Media Café, National Media Museum by SHH

7 March 2014

Media Café, National Media Museum by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

About a Lounge Chairs sit with film-set lamps and film-canister screen designed by SHH

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Subtle references to cinema and TV in SHH’s design avoid cliché in the museum’s transformed cafe, aimed at appealing to a wide audience

Client: Levy Restaurants/National Media Museum

Architect & lead designer: SHH

Duration: Six months

Home to the UK's first IMAX cinema, as well as being one of the most visited museums in the north of England, the Media Museum felt it was time to revamp the tired-looking Media Café. Being located next to the museum's shop and close to the main entrance, the new-look cafe needed to capture the attention of museum visitors as well as tempting in people who weren't necessarily visiting the museum. Project challenges including a restrictive budget and a short construction time, could make it seem like an impossible task - and as well as doing the work while the museum stayed open.

Architect and lead designer on the project SHH was appointed to refurbish the space to suit new requirements, such as extended opening hours, as well as reconfiguring the space for improved functionality and to create an over-all better visitor experience. 'The Media Café had had a vast portion of the area designated to seating, which meant the space felt soulless,' says Georgia Stevenson, project designer at SHH. 'General circulation in the space was also poor and the servery counters were not set out in their best configuration.'

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

Timber banquettes reference the new wood tops on the servery counters

An improvement of 'circulation' being identified within the design brief, the cafe's service approach was also re-evaluated with a new kitchen pass to be added to improve food delivery and interaction between staff and diners, while space planning generated new 'cafe' and 'dining' seating zones, allowing a more flexible use of the space. In addition, SHH was able to transform the space into something much more desirable without increasing the overall floor area. 'The aim was to create an informal, fun space with vibrancy and atmosphere, which would appeal to all audiences, giving them a reason to use the cafe for its own sake.'

Managing a restricted budget meant having to reuse some of the existing counter tops, refreshed by a white Corian exterior and timber butcher-block tops. The creation of a new kitchen pass, punched through the back of the servery wall, and floor-to-ceiling white tiling create a canteen feel, along with integrated metal shelving stacked with giant tins of tomatoes, olive oil, wine and coffee to 'dress the set'. With the new kitchen pass enabling better connection between kitchen and servery staff, it also provides on-lookers with a sense of theatre seeing the food brought out. 'These design changes...allowed us to create a cafe that is much closer aligned to the museum and the cinema experience as well as its aspirations as an organisation,' says Stevenson.

While some readers may recoil at the idea of a themed-cafe, the design for the Media Café has subtlely used media elements to accentuate rather than dictate the space, creating a largely unexpected wholesome feel.

The cafe zone, demarcated by two glass block walls and new flooring from Bolon, features most of the concept film and media features. A variety of soft seating includes the high-backed About a Lounge Chair from Hay, upholstered in burnt orange and chocolate brown Kavadrat fabric, accompanied by Tom Dixon Screw tables and stools. Film-set loor lamps frame the easy chairs and welded metal and timber shelves hold TV and film books. Monochrome photographs displayed on the wall were selected by the museum's archive team, and a bespoke screen was created by SHH from a metal frame and rows of film canisters. By exercising a feel of retro-cool, rather than Disney, the decor could quite easily suit an interior scheme of an inner-city apartment. The dining area space features loose furniture and a new wall of bespoke banquette seating that echoes the solid wood of the counter tops.

SHH's new configuration of the space creates two individual spaces that work both separately and together to attract as wide an audience as possible throughout the day. Stevenson says: This design approach helps to create an informal, fun space with a mix of seating, something that was important within the overall strategy for the atmosphere and attractiveness of the overall space.'

Keen to produce a multifunctional space, Stevenson emphases the importance this plays with aligning the café's strategy with the museum's visiting criteria. 'Our strategy also focuses on opening the cafe in the early evening, thereby creating an environment that will appeal to the evening cinema-goers; somewhere they can feel relaxed at the end of the day and get excited by the film they are about to see.

'It's a place that customers can naturally relax in, whether they are having a snack or drink or a main meal. It is a place that will help the museum achieve its aim of longer dwell times and keeping visitors within the National Media Museum.'

Words by Emily Martin

Main suppliers:

Furniture:

Tom Dixon (Screw'tables and stools)

Flooring:

Lighting:

Counters: