The Boathouse, Swanwick

Restaurant & Cafe Interior Design for Marina venue in Hampshire

Waterfront location and views are highlights at this venue, a restaurant and cafe at Swanwick Marina in Hampshire. We were engaged to design interiors with enhanced appeal for customers who arrive by yacht and might stay for dinner, while maintaining it for others including workers and dog walkers, who drop in for early morning coffee.

Interiors in association with Oliver Redfern Design. Opened August 2024.

Cafe Restaurant Interior Design Hampshire Marina

Restaurant Interior Design Hampshire Marina

Cafe Interior Design Hampshire Marina Coffee with a view

Restaurant Interior Design Marina Hampshire

Restaurant Interior Design Terrace overlooking Marina Hampshire

Restaurant Interior Design Terrace overlooking Marina Hampshire coast

Restaurant Bar Cafe Interior Designers Hampshire South Coast Banquette

Restaurant Cafe Interior Design Hampshire South Coast Dark Tiles Seascape

Restaurant Cafe Interior Design Hampshire South Coast Seafood

Restaurant Cafe Interior Design Hampshire South Coast earthy textures

Detail of Restaurant Cafe Interior Design Hampshire South Coast using rope hemp on bespoke banquette seat

Sunny Terrace to Restaurant Cafe Interior Design Hampshire South Coast bespoke banquette seats with view of the marina

Detail of cabinet in restaurant interior design Hampshire marina side coastal design with industrial details

Cafe Restaurant Interior Design coastal natural textures with real cork recycled wood terracotta rush seats

Restaurant Cafe Interior Design South Coast Hampshire light fitting woven texture lobster cage

Bar Restaurant Interior Design Bar Counters Tiled and Quartz top styled with plants

Bar Back Bar drinks display shelving in rustic coastal interior design with industrial details including powder coated metal brackets against white tiles and recycled wood

Natural materials and rustic textures used in restaurant interior south coast banquette seat screen

Wine glass storage bespoke details wine display interior design bar and restaurant Hampshire south coast industrial style details

Bar counter and displays in cafe coffee shop Swanwick marina with a patterned floor tile and recycled wood cladding and industrial style details

Quartz bar top bespoke detail as part of interior design for restaurant south coast Hampshire

Restaurant cafe interior design coastal marina natural cork recycled timber rope detail

Restaurant terrace with decking and bespoke planters by commercial interior designers hampshire

Swanwick Marina Hampshire beautiful view across estuary berthed yachts in front of new restaurant interior design coastal

Bar counter design bar and spirits display in restaurant interior design simple materials layered design coastal location Hampshire

Contemporary restaurant interior design serving fish and seafood in waterfront location with lobster cage light fittings

Contemporary restaurant interior design light fitting in bronze finish on natural cork wall cladding

WC cubicle in restaurant interior design with dark glossy tiles and abstract seascape

Restaurant chair in fresh green on decked terrace showing layered textures in interior design

Commercial Interior Design South Coast: Transformation of a Restaurant and Café in a prime waterfront location.

This popular café and restaurant at Swanwick Marina on the south coast had been housed in a modest shell for many years. Planning consents for a new building with an extended raised decking area and full glazed frontage were achieved in 2023.

Our brief for this waterfront interior design project presented challenges: We wanted to create something that was fresh and contemporary but without losing the ‘soul’ associated with the original premises. We had to consider the venue’s long opening hours and wide variety of customers across that daily period, from early morning dogwalkers and marina workers to yacht owners wanting a late-ish supper. In addition the interior needed to feel as inviting in midwinter as under bright summer sunshine.

The design strategy prioritized keeping clear views of the water and boats berthed in the marina for as many diners as possible. This drove the new seating layout: Banquette seating divides the open footprint into areas that feel more intimate.

We then devised a finishes scheme to complement the sharper architecture of the new building while adding earthiness and texture through natural and reclaimed materials. We avoided obvious references to nautical or coastal themes, instead taking inspiration from colours in the wider landscape and from the location’s heritage association with boatbuilding rather than sailing.

Details for the various bar shelving and displays reference this in their expressed industrial construction. I sourced the ‘lobster cage’ light fittings as a necessary textural softening within the high, plain-painted ceiling. Furniture and fabric selections for inside and out needed to be robust to withstand salty air, weather and possible wet clothing.

The large new decking area competes with the interior for importance in the summer months. We designed bespoke banquette seating to define different areas and to complement both the decking itself and the restaurant interior design.

The WCs and the connecting corridor offer a contrasting but connected experience, with a deeper colour palette using some repeated materials.

This project showcases our approach to commercial interior design: Response to location and setting, thoughtful spatial planning to both enhance and vary the client experience, layered finishes and fit-out details for a coherent, rich environment, furniture selections that amplify and complete the design.