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Saxtys Night Club and Wine Bar

  • Saxtys is a well-established venue within a listed building in Hereford. RRA led a major hospitality refurbishment and rebrand, creating a flexible bar, nightclub, champagne bar and event space with bold lighting, graphic artwork and carefully phased works to reduce business downtime.
  • Status: Completed 2007
  • Location: Hereford
  • Value: £600k
  • Contractor: Owen Pell Ltd
  • Structural Engineer: B.S. Hapgood Associates
  • Photo Credit: Christopher Preece
  • Services Engineer: Design Installation Service Ltd
  • Cost Consultant: Martin Ryder
  • Categories: Commercial, Industrial & Agricultural, Leisure & Retail
  • Tags: Bar Design, Commercial Interior Design, Hereford Architects, Hereford Hospitality Refurbishment, Herefordshire Architects, Hospitality Design, Leisure Architecture, Listed Building Refurbishment, Nightclub Design, Venue Rebrand
Interior view of Saxtys in Hereford after RRA Architects’ hospitality refurbishment, showing the long bar, timber flooring, seating, lighting and red champagne bubble ceiling artwork running through the restaurant and wine bar.
Front entrance of Saxtys in Hereford after RRA Architects’ hospitality refurbishment, showing the Saxtys sign, number 33, open timber doors and a view into the restaurant, wine bar and nightclub interior.
Refurbished restaurant area at Saxtys in Hereford, showing turquoise floral booth seating, timber flooring, bar seating, soft purple lighting and blue champagne bubble ceiling panels within the hospitality interior.
Dining seating at Saxtys in Hereford, showing tall upholstered chairs, set tables, timber flooring, purple wall lighting and a blue champagne bubble ceiling panel above the refurbished restaurant space.
Close-up view of the red champagne bubble ceiling artwork at Saxtys in Hereford, with circular white bubble graphics and recessed lights set into glossy ceiling panels as part of RRA Architects’ hospitality refurbishment.
Entrance to the refurbished toilets at Saxtys in Hereford, showing bright pink and blue graphic wall artwork, timber flooring, black tiles and contemporary lighting within the hospitality refurbishment.
Blue graphic wall artwork in the men’s toilets at Saxtys in Hereford, showing white silhouette figures, height marker lines, dark tiles and lighting as part of the venue refurbishment.
Refurbished men’s toilet interior at Saxtys in Hereford, showing blue graphic wall panels with white silhouette figures, wash basin, mirror, black tiles and nightclub-style lighting.
Pink and purple graphic wall artwork in the ladies’ toilets at Saxtys in Hereford, showing white silhouette figures, coloured panels, lighting and contemporary nightclub interior design.
Staircase and wall artwork at Saxtys in Hereford, showing red bubble graphics, a white silhouette figure, black tiles, stainless steel handrails and blue stair lights within the refurbished venue.
  • Interior view of Saxtys in Hereford after RRA Architects’ hospitality refurbishment, showing the long bar, timber flooring, seating, lighting and red champagne bubble ceiling artwork running through the restaurant and wine bar.
  • Front entrance of Saxtys in Hereford after RRA Architects’ hospitality refurbishment, showing the Saxtys sign, number 33, open timber doors and a view into the restaurant, wine bar and nightclub interior.
  • Refurbished restaurant area at Saxtys in Hereford, showing turquoise floral booth seating, timber flooring, bar seating, soft purple lighting and blue champagne bubble ceiling panels within the hospitality interior.
  • Dining seating at Saxtys in Hereford, showing tall upholstered chairs, set tables, timber flooring, purple wall lighting and a blue champagne bubble ceiling panel above the refurbished restaurant space.
  • Close-up view of the red champagne bubble ceiling artwork at Saxtys in Hereford, with circular white bubble graphics and recessed lights set into glossy ceiling panels as part of RRA Architects’ hospitality refurbishment.
  • Entrance to the refurbished toilets at Saxtys in Hereford, showing bright pink and blue graphic wall artwork, timber flooring, black tiles and contemporary lighting within the hospitality refurbishment.
  • Blue graphic wall artwork in the men’s toilets at Saxtys in Hereford, showing white silhouette figures, height marker lines, dark tiles and lighting as part of the venue refurbishment.
  • Refurbished men’s toilet interior at Saxtys in Hereford, showing blue graphic wall panels with white silhouette figures, wash basin, mirror, black tiles and nightclub-style lighting.
  • Pink and purple graphic wall artwork in the ladies’ toilets at Saxtys in Hereford, showing white silhouette figures, coloured panels, lighting and contemporary nightclub interior design.
  • Staircase and wall artwork at Saxtys in Hereford, showing red bubble graphics, a white silhouette figure, black tiles, stainless steel handrails and blue stair lights within the refurbished venue.

Hospitality refurbishment in a listed building

Saxtys is a long-established venue in Hereford, originally opened in 1977. RRA Architects was appointed to lead a major refurbishment and rebrand, transforming the building from a traditional nightclub into a more flexible hospitality venue, combining bar, nightclub, champagne bar and event space within one listed building.

This Hereford hospitality refurbishment needed to balance conservation repair, commercial reality and the changing expectations of the leisure industry. The project was also carried out to coincide with the UK smoking ban, when venues were having to rethink how customers used internal and external spaces.

Reworking a complex venue

The building’s long, deep plan created a particular design challenge. RRA reviewed the layout, circulation and service areas to help the venue work more clearly and efficiently for staff, customers and events.

The brief also required a strong new identity. RRA coordinated the architectural design, interior fit-out, branding and graphic artwork, helping to create a more distinctive and confident venue while retaining the character of the listed building.

Lighting was central to the design, forming an essential part of the scheme and identity of the venue. Daylight was considered for the restaurant areas, while coloured light, mood lighting and video graphic art helped create the atmosphere needed for the nightclub and event spaces.

Designing for the way people move

A successful hospitality venue has to work as well as it looks. Saxtys needed to support different uses across the day and night, from food and drink to late-night entertainment, private events and celebrations.

Clear navigation was an important part of the design. The toilets were made deliberately easy to find, with open entrances and bold blue and pink graphic treatments giving visitors an immediate visual cue. It was practical, playful and much more memorable than a small sign at the end of a corridor.

Artwork was also handled differently. In a busy bar or nightclub, wall art can quickly disappear behind people, furniture and movement. For Saxtys, graphic artwork was taken up onto the ceiling, where it could remain visible and help define the atmosphere of the space. The circular designs were inspired by bubbles, linking back to the champagne bar and giving the venue a strong visual identity.

A flexible venue with a strong identity

The completed design created a flexible venue that could adapt to different audiences and events without losing its personality. The bar, nightclub, champagne bar and event spaces were planned to feel connected, but each had its own atmosphere.

The project was delivered to a tight time and budget schedule, with careful phasing to reduce downtime for the business. RRA worked closely with the client and specialist build teams, accommodating design changes as the project developed while keeping the result focused, practical and commercially effective.

For RRA Architects, Saxtys remains a strong example of hospitality design within a listed building, combining conservation repair, commercial refurbishment, interior design, lighting and brand identity to give an established venue a fresh new chapter.

Project highlights

  • Major refurbishment of a long-established Hereford venue
  • Rebrand of a listed building hospitality business
  • Flexible bar, nightclub, champagne bar and event space
  • Conservation repair during the refurbishment works
  • Reworking of a long, deep-plan layout
  • Improved circulation and clearer customer navigation
  • Coordinated architecture, interior design, branding and graphic artwork
  • Lighting design for restaurant, bar, nightclub and event uses
  • Ceiling artwork inspired by champagne bubbles
  • Bold graphic treatment to the toilet entrances
  • Phased works to reduce business downtime
  • Close collaboration with the client and specialist build teams

This project also features as Week 19 in our #40Projects40Weeks series, with more on the design story behind the 2007 refurbishment, including the ceiling artwork, bold washroom graphics and changing nightlife scene. Read the blog at ‘Week 19: Saxtys, a Hereford Hospitality Refurbishment with Bubbles on the Ceiling.’