Arts Team conducts a revamp at Wigmore Hall

Classical music venue Wigmore Hall is to relaunch in October, with redesigned interiors by Arts Team and a new-look visual identity created by independent graphic designer Peter Williamson.

The £3m scheme, which has kept the Grade II-listed London venue closed since June, aims to return the facilities to an ‘international standard’, according to Wigmore Hall executive director John Gilhooly.

‘We dealt with [the interior’s] marble and alabaster ten years ago, but we never sorted the problem of ventilation. Lighting for the auditorium was on its last legs and seating was worn. The basement [which accommodates a restaurant and bar, and the multipurpose Bechstein Room] looked like a village hall,’ he says.

Gilhooly briefed Arts Team to redecorate Wigmore Hall’s listed auditorium and foyer with a ‘light touch’ and to reflect both spaces’ heritage in a ‘forward-looking way’ in the basement.

The refurbished first-floor spaces will remain true to the interior’s Edwardian spirit, according to Arts Team project director Suzie Bridges. However, the basement is set to ‘radically change’.

‘We’ll be opening it up, so the whole of the basement will feel like one space, and introducing high quality materials,’ she says. Dark timber panelling will line the walls to dado height and paintwork will incorporate a ‘twinkling’ translucent lacquer.

Wigmore Hall’s architecture strongly influences the refreshed visual identity, Williamson says.

Bespoke typography mirrors the venue’s exterior iron canopy, and the logo is an adaptation of the mural that overlooks the stage.

The work launched last month in a 96-page brochure and monthly ‘diary’, each designed by Williamson. It will also be implemented across stationery, tickets, programme covers, interior signage, a website at www.wigmore-hall.co.uk and an exhibition in the venue’s foyer.

Brighton group Hot Horse is revamping the website, which launches in September, and Hudson Fuggle is responsible for exhibition design.