FEATURE: SOFT FURNISHINGS

The COMFORT ZONE

Why stepping into today’s transformed club is the new great escape.

WHILE MANY EYES may focus on the outside of a club, patrons spend most of their time inside, walking on the carpet, getting comfy in cafes, relaxing on lounges or sitting in their favourite restaurant.

Increasingly as patchwork refits are replaced by holistic renovations or whole new complexes and a draft mood board becomes a reality, deciding what is both fashionable and sustainable when it comes to fabrics will set the mood for the whole club.

There are also an increasing number of interior products to consider, from soft furnishings to wall coverings and acoustic panels. Accordingly, what materials a club uses in a fit-out will have a significant impact on the look and feel of a venue.

“With so many materials and finishes to choose from, the decision of specifying one single finish has become a big task as we not only have to think about aesthetics but also about compliance, sustainability, and fire properties,” says Melbourne-basedCatalina Loaiza of Enth Degree Architects.

While others queue for planes and ships, club members have been waiting it out in 5-star comfort, enjoying the warm embrace of a new fit-out. Implementing that fresh feel-good factor, now needs to include the use of sustainable products, matched with practicality.

“Selecting upholstery and wall covering type, pattern and colour choice is key to making sure the furnishings look as good as the day they were delivered,” says Belinda Price, Product Director, of Materialised. “Light, plain upholstery colours in a heavy use area will mean maintenance will be an issue. Selectingfaux leathers in areas where food is consumed is a sensible choice as they are easy to maintain.”

Also as wall coverings need to withstand the wear and tear of a demanding club environment they should also meet a Type II standard that meets or exceeds specific requirements such as washability,scrub-ability, abrasion resistance, breaking strength, stain resistance, tear-resistance and colourfastness.

“The most important aspect from a supplier and manufacturer point of view is that fit-for-purpose products are specified to ensure the fabric and wall covering is durable and cleanable,” Belinda says.“We ensure a suite of highly aesthetically pleasing products but ultimately the interior designers and architect work out the trend.”

Durability is key in the hospitality sector, says Ally Jago, General Manager, Mint FF&Ewhich has fitted out Cabravale Diggers, Revesby Works, St Ives Bowling Club and Canterbury Leagues Club.

“Commercial fabrics and particularly vinyl are very popular. It’s great to see lots of new decorative vinyl options coming through as well as ones that are better for the environment,” she says.

“We are also using more and more custom-printed fabrics and finishes. Materialised, especially, can recreate patterns in any colour and size, and means you can always offer something new and different to a client.”

Amanda Primett, Design Director of Adelaide-based White Forest Design, likes Crypton fabrics.

“They are the perfect match of luxury and bullet-proof durability needed in hospitality venues.”

And the pandemic has thrown a whole new aspect into the mix.

“One thing that we must include in our designs is social distancing,” says Enth Degree’s Catalina Loaiza. “The pandemic has taught us that we cannot rely on limited spaces when designing as we might not know if in a short period of time things will change drastically.

“At the same time, clients are tending to think more about allowing for a future space growth as venues become more popular, or simply because the business is doing very well; so, we normally leave open areas or make certain areas bigger in case they want to change soon.

“Another addition to our recent hospitality projects has been a reception area. Clients have found this to be very useful for business and it is attractive for patrons as they now tend to book their dinner or lunch in advance. Also, a beer garden or an outdoor area has become a must for a hospitality venue.”

Where to now

As for the future, Catalina says clients now know that social media is a very important part of their business.

“Creating ‘Instagrammable’ or funky spaces is something we always try to do,” she says. “Therefore, they have been more open to pops of colour and different materials that they would not have accepted in their venues before.”

Ally Jago from MINT says big things are happening in regional areas benefiting from local travel due to Covid.

“It’s really exciting to see these strong community spaces grow. There is growth in outdoor dining and lounge spaces, again because of covid. Our clients are investing more money into their outdoor entertainment spaces, including furniture that is different and exciting. It’s not just bright plastic stacking chairs anymore. Flexibility is key – communal dining spaces that are adaptable and can accommodate groups and families.”

Jodie Duddington of EJE Achitecture says the impact of changing legislation will always be a starting point for initial space and fit-out planning.

“These are always prone to change, particularly given the last two years,” she says. “We’re also seeing a big push towards high-tech audio-visual requirements for sports lounges and integration of family and play spaces, with generally a variety of spaces required to capture a wider clientele base. Gaming rooms are taking on a ‘lighter’ aesthetic and clubs and hospitality venues, in general, are asking for more integration of biophilic principles and natural materials, as well as a softening around lounge and social spaces for both groups and individuals.”

Top Tips

MINT FF&E:

Find designers and architects you enjoy working with and don’t be afraid to be different.

WHITE FOREST DESIGN:

Clubs know their patrons intimately. Hearing and meeting these needs are key. Once done you can start to integrate the design studio’s vision.

EJE ARCHITECTURE:

Offering families and children an ‘outside the box’ approach will be a major attraction.

Going green has its pitfalls

WHILE THERE are many sustainable materials available for the commercial market, if they don’t perform properly and need replacing sooner, then the sustainability of that product is lost, says Belinda Price, of Materialised.

She suggests looking for sustainability certifications such as GREENGUARD Gold, Global GreenTag and OEKO-TEX, as well as recycled content composition, in particular postconsumer recycled content, that could help towards a Green Star Interiors rating. There are also other features to look for such as PVC-free, VOC-free, and heavy-metal free.

“Sustainability hasn’t really yet entered the conversation with regards to club design which we hope to see some advancement in soon, but this has to be a mutual conversation between the architectural and design team and the client,” says Jodie Duddington, Senior Interior Designer at EJE Architecture.

“It has to be driven from both sides of the fence so any budgetary and pragmatic implications are considered from the start of the process to ensure that sustainable principles are upheld all the way through to project delivery.

“From an interior design point of view, fabrics, carpet, and furniture are our greatest opportunity to select ethical and sustainable products but we are yet to see a big push to ‘close the loop’ and lifecycle of the product when it comes to refurbishing venues.

“Durability, longevity, compliance, tactile and aesthetic beauty are the primary consideration when it comes to materials and if we can add sustainable to that list we have a winning combination.”

Amanda Primett of White Forest Design says be agile and choose enduring interiors using more natural, sustainable, locally sourced materiality. “Try to source Australian first and invest in quality furniture/finishes that will last,” she says.