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With the number of pubs, bars and clubs across the UK most of us will have seen a wide variety of different bar designs. Although we often take the presence of the bar as a given, great thought goes into its design. This article looks at the different requirements of a good bar. Body Bars are undeniably a dominant feature of a wide range of places. Temporary bars are required for marquee parties, for weddings and even for village fetes, whilst more permanent fixtures are required for bars pubs and clubs across the UK and actually the world. Whilst many of us take the presence of a bar in any one of these locations for granted, the reality is that a lot of thought and effort goes into bar design in order to ensure it does a great job. Whilst it can be agreed that a good bar means more business, what exactly is a good bar and what are the factors which need to be considered? In addressing this problem the age old conflict between those who pine for somewhere that's beautiful and a joy to be in and those who want to maximise bar productivity and operations rears its head. This article considers how you can balance function and aesthetics when it comes to deciding what makes a good bar. Aesthetics One of the most important aspects of bar design is the aesthetics of the bar i.e. how it looks. In some places design is obvious; clubs in high competition sites such as London, New York and Paris have to create some particularly outre "wow!" factor in order to win consumers. That's how you end up with fish tanks under the floor and a tree in the middle of the place. Whilst great looking bars in clubs often make it into our papers and magazines, a good looking bar is equally important in other contexts too. A seedy old pub with worn, stained carpet, for example, will not attract customers and neither will it encourage repeat business. When someone enters your pub or bar you don't want them to immediately comment on how unattractive it is. Whilst how the bar looks is important this does not mean it needs to be anything wildly out of the ordinary. It just needs to be clean and contextually attractive. By this I mean that the bar must look good in relation to the type of establishment in question. If it is an old pub the bar should look traditional and wooden, for example, whilst in a modern champagne bar this would look rather odd. In this environment perhaps a stainless steel bar may look more attractive. Overall then whilst the bar must look be attractive, this does not mean it has to look weird or wonderful, attractive and contextually appropriate is enough! Functionality For every person who argues visual appearance should be a design team’s dominant concern, there is another who would argue its functionality should have more significance. You have to make sure that everything the barman needs is easily accesible. Get this wrong and over the course of an evening fewer people could end up getting served as a result, which means less money and even less repeat business if people have to wait for a long time to wait to get served and might even end up going somewhere else. Along with thinking about the barman’s requirements it is also necessary to think about how the customer will use the bar. Are you going to have seats so people can be comfortable, or have it clear so people can be served more quickly? If it is the latter then great thought needs to be put into where the taps, pumps and service stations will go in order to allow customers to order their drink at as many points as possible. Ideally the bar will draw them to an order point rather than have people waiting in a horizontal line which is always problematic for the barman. Finally, a useful piece of bar design which is very functional indeed is a mirror. It not only allows the barman to see what is going on behind him when he is preparing the drinks, such as the arrival of new customers, but it also allows those ordering their drinks to see what is going on in the rest of the room and therefore not have their back to the bar which makes it difficult for the barman. Conclusion Whilst it has been seen that both functionality and aesthetic appearances are both important there is often conflict between their relative importance, and bar design is all about finding a compromise between the two. It is inevitable that the funkiest looking bars may also be the most impractical ones for barmen to actually use whilst the most functional of bars may be extremely unattractive. Before you begin to panic about getting the right balance however, remember that there are a range of bar design companies out there to help you achieve the right looking bar for you which operates efficiently as well.
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