Award-winning hospitality interior design firm, B3 Designers, has continued its creative collaboration with Las Iguanas restaurant group, this time at its Derby branch.
Thriving restaurant chain, Las Iguanas, is a leading name across the UK, bringing a unique ‘Latin American energy’ to the high street. B3 Designers’ brief was to reimagine this unique identity in the context of a Grade”II Listed building, bringing the brand’s characteristic blend of faded grandeur and touch of flamboyant Latino flavour to the fore.
The 380m² venue, once a bakery, accommodates 140 covers over two floors – ground and mezzanine. The older parts of the building have been connected by a double height atrium space which brings natural light to the central area of the restaurant. As a result, an internal courtyard has been created in this space, dressed with overgrown exotic planting and oversized antique bronze chandeliers.
Exposed historic brickwork and giant distressed graphics on the walls recreate the feeling of street advertising prominent throughout South America, and tap into the narrative of faded Latino glamour throughout Las Iguanas venues.
Elsewhere, reclaimed crates are stacked high above the fixed booths within the bar area and key materials – such as Granito cement tiles in B3 Designers’ bespoke Latino style pattern of washed-out green and ochre colours - combine with reclaimed timber boards in pastel tonal colours to evoke this fun and flamboyant Latino style.
“We always relish the challenge of bringing a vibrant Latin aesthetic into UK restaurant sites,” says Mark Bithrey, design director at B3 Designers. “Working with a Grade II Listed building gave us a great opportunity to play with the idea of faded grandeur which is so prevalent in South America and of course stay true to the fabric of the building – these elements give an engaging sense of story to the space.”
