Inside Out Contracts: Design Change at The Royal Exchange
Situated next to the Bank of England in the heart of London’s financial district, the stunning Royal Exchange spent 150 years as the home of the Lloyd’s insurance market. These days, it’s better known as a luxury retail and dining destination, and two additions have recently added another level of sophistication to the already elegant space.
Bespoke seating for high-end venues
Engel Bar in the North Mezzanine, and Jang restaurant in the South Mezzanine, both opened to widespread acclaim this summer – and Inside Out Contracts was part of the incredible transformation of both interiors. Working closely with these two prestigious clients, Inside Out Contracts crafted custom-designed banquette seating that was tailored specifically to the look and feel of the venues.
Banquettes are the perfect way to maximise seating options and create variation in form and aesthetics. The materials and colour palette can also be used to create a harmonious flow throughout a venue, drawing the eye to particular areas, or complementing contrasting colours in the overall design.
Concepts and collaboration
Inside Out Contracts’ projects usually involve a degree of collaboration – with clients, interior designers or architects – and the Royal Exchange commission was no exception. Unusually, Inside Out Contracts worked with two different clients on one site, each with unique venues and aspirations. Their furniture team spent time with each client to fully understand the story behind their venues, and their design vision for the space. As a historical site with huge architectural significance, it was important to take the imposing characteristics of the Royal Exchange building into account right from the beginning of the design process.
Engel Bar: 1920s Berlin-inspired banquettes
With the hedonist backdrop of 1920s Berlin as their inspiration, this was a wonderfully creative brief with all the elements essential for a luxurious banquette – decadence, luxury and glamour. The team wanted to create a time-travel element to the piece, so that clientele could be whisked back to the Golden Twenties in Berlin while on a night out in London.
Jang: Fusion design for a sophisticated finish
Blending the cuisines of Korea and Japan, Jang brings a unique culinary experience to the capital. Its interior needed to reflect the fusion of cuisines, while also celebrating the complementary elements that make them a natural partnership. The bespoke seating had to sit seamlessly within the overall design for the interior, which is centred around the ethos of a serene and calming dining experience that exudes luxury.
Banquette design process: From concept to installation
Inside Out Contracts are known for their innovative and detailed design process, and pride themselves on being able to capture clients’ ideas perfectly in the pieces of furniture that they craft for their venues. The team worked closely with both venues to capture the themes and aesthetics and to bring their visions to life in the bespoke banquette and sofa seating. You can follow our design process below.
1. The perfect fit: Space-planning for optimum layout
When Inside Out Contracts are working with clients on bespoke commissions, they always begin with a detailed space plan. This ensures that the furniture fits into the plan for the venue as a whole. Despite the different themes and colour schemes, there were several similarities between these projects – namely, the dual essentials of function and aesthetics.
2. Back to the drawing board: Technical drawings for precision plans
Once they have a good idea about the layout of the venue and the positioning of the furniture, they can move on to more detailed calculations. Their technical drawings ensure each piece of bespoke furniture fits precisely into its allotted location.
3. Seeing is believing: Using CAD to visualise furniture
Inside Out Contracts work with the client to ensure they’re happy with the layout and technical drawings and, once everything has been approved, they move onto the next stage: bringing those drawings to life. 3D CAD (computer-aided design) models help all parties to visualise the furniture as it will realistically look. This helps to check and tweak every minute detail of the furniture, right down to the stitching on the fabric.
4. Adding a splash of colour: Final visuals
This next stage in the design process is where Inside Out Contracts really stands out from the crowd. The team go beyond the standard black-and-white approvals and provide clients with full-colour visuals of their bespoke furniture. It allowed their clients to visualise the exact materials and finishes they wanted.
5. And finally … the AR model
This is where the initial vision really comes to life. Before signing off for production, Inside Out Sontracts use cutting-edge technology to create AR models of the furniture so the client can see exactly how it will look once in situ. You can learn more about our augmented reality samples and how useful you could find them, here. Clients are able to scan a QR code and see the bespoke pieces as they will look in their venue, once installed – avoiding the risk of expensive mistakes.
By working with this high degree of collaboration with our clients, Inside Out Contracts ensure that they’re involved in every step of the process and, more importantly, are happy with every detail of the furniture.
Show-stopping seating: The big reveal at Engel Bar and Jang
These projects highlight the variety of banquette seating options that we can craft for venues, and how different designs can come together in one space.
● U-shaped banquettes: These are a great choice for group dining and the ideal form for Jang.
● Straight banquettes: The statement pieces at Engel Bar, the clean lines worked perfectly with the linear interior layouts.
● Bespoke sofas: The team created multiple sofas for both venues, as they fit into different spaces and work in all manner of configurations. The design features luxurious upholstery, deep button backs and fluting – details that elevate the pieces to a luxury environment.
In focus: Bespoke sofa
This design is all about combining the key features of style and function. Inspired by Engel Bar’s 1920s theme, the sofa works equally well in Jang’s sophisticated interior. They used our Linwood Omega fabric for the sofa seat, while the opulent Nobilis Lophelia makes a striking contrast on the back. The sofa is built from a solid wood plinth and shows off bespoke craftsmanship at its best.
A successful transformation
Nothing beats the moment when the final design comes together, and this project demonstrates the passion and attention to detail that goes into all commissions. Working collaboratively, and crafting pieces from the best-quality materials ensured that Engel Bar and Jang have bespoke seating solutions that will impress guests for years to come. This is what happens when creative teams work seamlessly together.
“The Royal Exchange project was incredibly rewarding. Collaborating closely with interior designers, we developed bespoke sofas and banquettes that seamlessly merged ergonomic comfort with aesthetic beauty. By paying close attention to ergonomics – seat height, depth, arm height, and backrest rake – we ensured both form and function. Despite a tight timeline, the project moved from sketches to completion with high-quality results that we’re proud of.” Senior Designer, Inside Out Contracts
Inside Out Contracts: Setting the standard in bespoke furniture design
These projects demonstrate the full range of our technology and expertise, from CAD drawings and AR visuals to our dedicated design team who work closely with clients, architects and interior designers to bring furniture visions to life.
For more insights on this project, and to find out more about other exciting installations, find out more about Inside Out Contracts on Supplier Finder.
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