Multi-award-winning interior designers, Ellis Design Studio have designed the showstopping new venue for Poolhouse, a brand new, global leisure concept.
Poolhouse takes the traditional game of pool and redefines it as a dynamic, immersive, multi layered experience. The venue has been meticulously designed by Ellis Design Studio to completely re-imagine the iconic game and showcase it in a spectacular, premium setting.
The venue, located at 100 Liverpool Street, in the heart of Central London, comprises over 21,000 sq.ft of space, set within the landmark Broadgate Central development. The flagship venue includes 20 bespoke designed pool table spaces and three stunning bars, arranged over two floors.
“The design for Poolhouse has been inspired by the authenticity of traditional pool halls & gritty dive bars contrasted against the iridescent, shimmering allure of vintage Vegas. The design represents a carefully curated blend of grit and glamour, reflecting the universal appeal of this iconic game across the social spectrum”. Alan Ellis, MD at Ellis Design Studio
The approach by Ellis Design Studio was partly informed by the scale of the flagship venue.
The Studio decided to create an overarching conceptual framework based around a voyage on the open road, under the vast American sky. The guest journey through the venue takes them from dawn to dusk, invoking a cinematic narrative of discovery and intrigue.” Alan Ellis, MD at Ellis Design Studio
The design concept mixes elements of high & low, grit & glamour and is a celebration of familiar American iconography which form the backdrop to the game of pool - the diner, the motel, the open road, the casino and the dive bar.
American art & literature are also important touchpoints for the design. The concept pays homage to luminaries such as Georgia O’Keefe, Edward Hopper and Jack Kerouac and takes inspiration from the work of these artists in celebrating boundless American landscapes and the notions of Americana, travel and discovery.
The Entrance
The dramatic, enveloping entrance sets the tone for the journey. Guests are transported into the world of Poolhouse through a starlit vaulted portal, reminiscent of a twilight/dawn desert sky, punctuated by shimmering search lights.
The Ground Floor Bar
On entering the venue, guests are greeted by the dramatic, curvilinear ground floor bar. The complex, multi planed geometry takes inspiration from mid-century architecture typically found on American road trips.
Roadside diners and the futurist-inspired aesthetics of gas stations all provide inspiration for the sweeping forms of the bar. The design for the illuminated, radial canopy, ribbed vaulted back bar and glowing feature column has been informed by the design language of garages, motels and petrol station forecourts.
The ground floor bar sits against a multi-hued landscape mural, inspired by the abstract expressionist works of American artist Georgia O’Keefe. Conceptually, this layered backdrop anchors the bar as a glowing beacon, set against the desert sky.
The materiality of the ground floor space is informed by the roadside aesthetic and is centred around burnished metals, polished concrete and undulating topographic forms & textures. Theatrical contrasts of light and dark lend a layered, textured feel to the space.
The Staircase
The dramatic sweeping staircase acts as sinuous a link between the ground and first floor spaces. Designed as a continuation of the entrance portal, the staircase acts as both a physical and conceptual conduit of discovery through the venue. The polychromatic walls are inspired by the vastness of the luminous desert night sky and the unexpected beauty of petrol meeting swirls of water.
Reception
Emerging from the staircase, guests are greeted by a motel-inspired reception area, featuring cubist style, pool mural, which artfully speaks to the heritage of the game.
The Suites
The pool play spaces are laid out as a series of twenty private & semi-private ‘Suites’ The design for the Suites has been inspired by a mix of vintage motel and dive bar aesthetics, recognising the familiar mix of grit and glamour associated with the heritage of pool.
These dedicated Suites include custom pool tables and lighting canopies, which have been meticulously designed by the Studio to form an instantly recognisable centrepiece to each space.
The design for the tables has been inspired by the elegant forms found in modernist pool tables, featuring coloured veneers and hand-finished burl wood inlays to the bases which enclose the complex, game-related, hardware.
The tables are crowned by a glowing 3-tiered chandelier, which has been designed to encase the game technology, whilst also creating an illuminated focal point over each table.
The materials and lighting for the pool tables and canopies have been carefully designed by the Studio to ensure they look beautiful and blend seamlessly with the technology discreetly incorporated within.
The Suites feature a mix of hand-painted walls, inspired by the textures and materiality of motels and vintage pool halls. Over-sized cork patterns, distressed wallpapers and custom-designed carpets all lend a sense of texture and storytelling.
A carefully located Edward Hopper-inspired mural invokes a trompe l’oeil window to the desert and continues the design dialogue of travel and the open road.
The Main Bar
The main bar represents the shimmering focal point, inspired by the iridescent glamour and vibrancy of vintage Vegas. The bar takes inspiration from classic casino forecourts and golden age Las Vegas architecture, with its combination of glowing, multi-tiered and curved forms.
The bar acts as the heart of the venue, with a gilded starburst chandelier at its centre, crowned by a radiating canopy of fibre optic lights above. The rose gold bar front and sinuous ceramic bar top add to the sense of lustre and reflectivity, and the striking brass palm lights reinforce the distinctive vintage Vegas- inspired aesthetic. The bar includes a layering of hand painted finishes, bespoke wallpapers and custom designed joinery and rose gold metalwork detailing.
The Private Room
The atmospheric private room, Queen Vera’s, is named after the trail-blazing pool player Vera Selby, the queen of British Pool. The design is inspired by the texture, grit and authenticity of traditional British working men’s clubs, pool halls & dive bars.
The room features a glowing private bar and textures inspired by the desert including, a snakeskin, laser-cut ceiling, scale-patterned carpets and upholstery inspired by the undulations of the landscape. The colour-saturated space invokes a of sense of nostalgia, acting as a nod to pool’s humble origins and the game’s continued universal appeal.
The Eight Room
American pool player, Janet Lee is an icon in the world of pool. The Eight Room pays homage to this formidable legend, who’s killer instincts on the table earned her the moniker ‘The Black Widow’ - after the eight-legged spider who ate its opponents alive. The Eight Room is an exclusive invitation-only space hidden within the venue. The space features a vermillion hued, pleated velvet walls, which speak to Ms. Lee’s theatricality and distinctive sense of style.
The Jungle Room
The Jungle Room Suite takes its name from its legendary namesake in Elvis’ beloved Graceland. The pleated fabric ceiling is inspired by Elivs’ spectacular pool room and the bespoke jungle-inspired laser printed timber panelling and vintage rattan lighting reference the aesthetic found in the legendary Jungle Room in Graceland.
For the flagship Poolhouse venue, Ellis Design Studio has created a beautifully designed, cinematic and conceptual interior. The narrative driven, design scheme acts as a carefully curated showcase for the history and universal appeal of the iconic game of pool, from the grit & authenticity of the dive bar to the iridescent glamour of vintage casinos.
Alan Ellis added
“The Studio was absolutely honoured to be hand-picked by Steve and Dave Jolliffe, who are titans in the industry, to help bring this incredibly special flagship project to life. Steve and Dave are true visionaries who continue to revolutionise the hospitality and leisure sector and we are thrilled to have worked with them on this game-changing new concept”.
