Whether or not this little project will eventually become reality remains to be seen, and so for the moment this project is still WORK IN PROGRESS. It came about following whispered tales of a possible purchase of an existing Kokura bar space (formerly Hemp; Uomachi 1-chome, 3-21 BF, see Guide to Kokura), by the owner of Xelha's bar (Colin, who also opened Outer Limits dance club in 1999). So, having way too much time on my hands, I thought I'd work up a few plans and colour schemes, in the hope of tempting Colin to get himself a much cheaper (and way more original) design scheme than he could otherwise hope for!

The structural layout of the original bar is shown below, according to my drunken memories of the dance bar Hemp, when it was still open. It featured a very dark central area for dancing, with a few tables scattered around for effect, a DJ booth at one end (on the left of the plan below, but not shown), bar area (far right), one toilet (bottom right), and kitchen/staff area (top). Being a basement property, there are of course steps down from the street (shown top left).

The property is actually reasonably spacious compared to most Japanese bars, so I had a lot of room to play with. However it would be a wasted opportunity simply to fill the entire property with English-style pub decor; it could be made a great deal more interesting! So, for these two main reasons, it seemed worthwhile splitting the bar into two very different areas, while still maintaining a strong linked theme between the two different decors. I wanted to avoid creating an 'Olde England' version of Xelha's (ethnic atmosphere), which is essentially just one large open bar area with tables, and so the 'pub' part of the bar (about two thirds of the total property) would be split up further into cosy little areas with the addition of a few dividing walls. This would produce more wall space onto which pub sofas could be fitted, in addition to making the whole experience more 'exploratory'. A second toilet and adjacent washbasin have also been added in the image below, in addition to a rough sketch of the kitchen units, sinks, refridgerators, and ovens. A dividing wall separates the kitchen from the staff changing area (and probably store room), while a standing bar and drink cabinets have also been roughly fitted. The area on the far left of the plan is hopefully going to be something a little bit special (and probably slightly gimmicky), but I'll describe that later....

So that's the structural changes dealt with. Next comes the furniture and decor. A handy tip for interior design schemes is to refer to nature for colour scheme inspiration, and a raspberry pink interior with lashings of natural, earthy woods (including the floor), and patches of dark green for a splash of colour, would actually be a lot more appealing and welcoming than it might sound (?). Add some well positioned lighting, and suitable soft fabric patterns, and the pub area is close to being finished. So take a peek at the preview images on the next page, and let me know whether you'd want to drink there....


PREVIEW IMAGES >>>>>>> click here


N.B. Please note that all images and more importantly intellectual property are most definitely copyright (at least until somebody asks me to actually produce this bar)!