Adam Rawls to style Aussie-themed bars

Tim Pyne, designer of the 100% Design show, is forming a new consultancy called Vamp with event designer Crissij van den Munckhof.

Pyne designed last year’s 100% Design and Ideal Home exhibitions as associate at JJA, where he worked for a year and a half. He joined Event four months ago, then met van den Munckhof, an event designer and producer at Urban Productions for the past three and a half years.

“I wanted to work at a bigger practice so I went to Event, but after meeting Crissij I realised she was the right person to work with. There are huge opportunities for us as a team,” says Pyne.

Vamp will employ five more designers if it wins a job it is currently pitching for – a “big media event in an urban setting” to take place in October.

Pyne will continue to work on this year’s 100% Design show, opening on 29 September, and also on November’s Ideal Home Exhibition.

JJA has a new senior designer, Michael Cameron, one-time director of the former consultancy Crighton, who joined last month. “He’s not exactly replacing Tim,” says senior designer Stephen Austin-Brown.

Event is still looking to replace Pyne. And a spokesman for Urban Productions confirms that van den Munckhof “will be replaced”.

Scottish & Newcastle International has given the go-ahead for a chain of themed Foster’s bars. Design work is by Adam Rawls Associates.

The consultancy has designed concepts for three themes: Outback, Beach Bar and Billabong. Each of these concepts will offer an essence of Australian culture focusing on a popular theme, says consultancy director Adam Rawls.

Foster’s branding will be integral to the style of each interior.

The Outback concept will be piloted in Hamburg, opening in March 1997 on a new-build site. S&NI plans to follow the pilot with a significant number of sites throughout Europe.

“A number of major cities in Europe can support all three themes,” says Rawls.

“In mainland Europe, Foster’s is seen as a premium brand and the themed bars have been created as fashionable venues to attract each European country’s adventurous drinkers,” he adds.

The project has been at concept stage for more than two years. Scottish & Newcastle International’s retail development manager Helen Roberts says: “Since S&NI bought Courage in late 1995, we have been reviewing strategy on all our brands and felt this was the right time to move on the themed bars.” Courage had represented Foster’s in the UK until the takeover.