Manchester toasts local groups

A fresh round of bars and restaurants is opening in Manchester, all designed by local consultancies. The city’s first Czech bar, Praguefive, has opened with interiors by Harrison Ince and graphics by freelance designer Trevor Johnson.

A fresh round of bars and restaurants is opening in Manchester, all designed by local consultancies.

The city’s first Czech bar, Praguefive, has opened with interiors by Harrison Ince and graphics by freelance designer Trevor Johnson. Praguefive’s logo uses the Czech version of the city’s name, Praha.

It is a joint venture between So What Arts, the management company for the band Simply Red, and Hale Leisure.

This team is also launching the Catalan-themed Bar Barca in early May, with the same combination of designers on board.

Bar Barca is owned by Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall.

“It’s an old fabric warehouse. We’ve kept the industrial atmosphere but it’s not hard-edged, it’s quite subdued and welcoming,” says Harrison Ince partner Paul Harrison.

Bar Barca is aiming to “merge the Catalan theme with the Manchester aesthetic,” according to Harrison.

Vodka bar Revolution also opened last week, designed by Peacock Sunderland Architects & Designers and an in-house team at client Inventive Leisure. Graphics work is by Andy Ward, designer at the consultancy Purple.

Judge Gill is designing interiors and architecture for a purpose- built café bar provisionally called Archbar, though it may be renamed Salune. Via Design is creating graphics.

“We want to achieve the qualities of traditional English pubs and translate them into a café atmosphere with lots of natural stone, timber and brass,” says director Kevin Gill. There is no opening date scheduled at present.

Finally, restaurant and wine bar Velvet opened six weeks ago, designed by Richard Chadwick Associates.

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