2 TAPS – Belfast
2 TAPS
Project: Extending the kitchen, redesigning the bathrooms and redesigning the bar waiting area into a new eating area.
Designed and fitted out by On The Square Emporium.
               Not all of this job was glamorous as the kitchen was extended into the old disabled toilet and the ladies changed to the mens and the new disabled toilet carved out of the mens toilet. But the end result was just what the customer needed; a decent extension to the kitchen to serve there ever busier restaurant a complete overhaul of the toilet areas and a new seating area off the bar.
               This job was a great challenge for organisation against time constraints as we wanted the restaurant to be down for the shortest time possible, we had to be in and out, completed in a week. Our building team went in first knocking through walls to get the kitchen access to the old disabled toilet area, this needed the coordination of gas supply, plumbers and electricians and the demolition crew. Next the new toilet areas were built plastered and skimmed. with dehumidifiers and heaters working around the clock we were able to get decorating. The toilets were built from old floorboards, gibing them a real bohemians feel akin to a Spanish beech bar. The sinks were created from vintage mixing bowls in the ladies and lab sinks in the gents. We designed foot pedals to operate the water, this added to the quirkiness, but also made them very sanitary. The new disabled toilet was more standard and was built to every code.
A new serving hatch was put in the kitchen extension, for the doors of this we used a the doors from a Victorian sideboard; the rest of the sideboard was used by the main kitchen entrance to house the serviettes and cutlery and condiments.
For the new seating area at the front bar we used an old wine barrel and ran a teak counter top made from an old lab counter to the wall and along in an L shape. This created a tapa bar eating area that was complimented by bespoke stools made from barrel staves.This has proved a popular area to dine and has created extra eating area were there was only previously a waiting area.