Commissioning a fabulous, colourful reclaimed timber bar top

With design and interiors work, I occasionally prefer not deciding on big spend items straight away but waiting to see how a project evolves, especially when there isn’t the luxury of a sky high budget. Options often reveal themselves as I work through ideas, as the scheme unfolds, and though this can make some clients nervous and is more work for the designer – far easier to have one list / moodboard and stick to it – the results can be more innovative and individual. We all work differently however, and I’m sure some interior designers think that’s insanity.

Such was the situation at Splendid, where on the opening night all was complete bar the bar top. Time constraints meant the original structure stayed the same with a damn good clean, new paintwork, a fun overhead chalkboard and some brass meshwork, but no new and perfect bar top which could have been done in the two weeks we had. Scaffolding planks were very on trend but not quite right, marble or composite too costly and many other materials just didn’t fit with the interiors vibe created. Hmmmmm. Something was niggling me, something I’d spotted & memory logged but was just beyond reach. I went back through my photos….. eureka!

Whilst painting demo-ing at Home Is In The North, I’d seen a beautiful table and bench set by a young designer maker called Aiden Spencer, using turned white legs and reclaimed timber slats he’d hand crafted and fixed together to make a really unusual and individual looking top surface. I loved the way the different drops and colours played with depth and texture to make every piece unique. I’d found our bar top! The only challenge was, Aiden had never made a top 3.5m long and transported it across town on the top of a white van. Not until he met Team Moregeous anyway. Let me tell you, manoeuvring and turning this heavy but still flexible top across John Dalton Street, into the restaurant and then up and over onto the existing bar was no mean feat as we were all a bit fearful it might snap in two at any point….. but it didn’t. The thin metal straps underneath held it secure – yippee 🙂The before and after below shows how much lighter and brighter the bar area looks, the linear slats picking up design ideas in the rest of the space and the occasional red flash breaking up a full on timber feel. 

Aiden had super varnished the top to protect against spills and moisture but like any other timber top, care and occasional maintenance will be needed to keep it looking amazing. Well worth it for something so beautiful and great to have clients prepared to trust and invest in new local designers and their work, we LOVE facilitating this at Moregeous Design.

Watch out for more of Aiden’s work going into the newly refurbished Altrincham Market soon (sneaky peek below) and contact him direct if you fancy a table. Check out his work HERE.

I do need to say at this point that I will miss Splendid terribly, not least because of those extraordinary fries with meaty bits & gravy and their gigantic chocolate waffles #perksofthejob 😉