Chich new look puts iconic Apartment back in vogue

The Apartment is one of Belfast city centre’s most popular and iconic venues and now, following phase one of a large scale refurbishment, it has a bold new look that includes a stylish roof terrace…

It’s become one of Belfast’s most iconic city centre venues – not least because of its commanding views over the city hall – and when Horscroft Design (formerly IDA Design) stepped in to plan a refurbishment recently at the behest of new owners, the Downey Group, they were determined to preserve the bar’s best features.

“We were charged with revitalising and modernising this well-loved bar”, explains Paul Horscroft, “ but we were determined to preserve everything that’s made it what it’s been over the years, including its fabulous view and the classic, timeless ambience that people have loved.”

The Apartment is a popular choice for morning coffees, it also offers a lunchtime menu and evening dining with a full cocktail bar service and regular entertainment. As one of central Belfast’s most popular destinations, all eyes were on the venue to see just what Paul and his team could achieve.

“This is a landlocked and listed property and one of the biggest challenges for us was to create enough outdoor space for an all-important roof terrace and beer garden,” explains Paul. “We were able to secure approval to remove a section of the roof from an original toilet block at the rear of the premises. We were then able to remodel this as an exterior space with a glazed shop front, creating a landscaped inner courtyard that’s open to the sky.”

The Apartment’s new ‘secret garden’ is proving to be very popular for dining in the summer sunshine and for al fresco drinks in the evenings.

The venue’s famous City Hall picture windows have been enhanced with high stools and tables arranged in booths. Elsewhere, comfortable banquette leather seating allows for a very relaxed dining experience.

“Throughout the fit-out, we’ve used classic materials such as walnut and oak hardwoods with lots of bevelled and polished mirror panelling softened with distressed leather upholsteries and vintage fabric trims,” says Paul.

“The Back Room Bar features a classic zinc bar with impressive detailing, and in the Mezzanine, you’ll see a classic hardwood city bar with exposed brickwork behind. On the roof terrace, we’ve created a really quirky bar from off-cuts of scaffold planks with rough-cut tree planking for the bar top.”

Naturally, lighting is a critical consideration with any refurbishment project and at the Apartment, an effective mix of vintage and modern options has been introduced, from a stunning pair of art deco French chandeliers in the double-height lobby to intelligent, energy-efficient LED lighting throughout the venue.

Throughout phase one of the scheme, the Apartment was able to continue trading on the ground floor of the building. Phase two of the programme will involve creating an exciting new bar in that space and that is set to open its doors in August.

Completed on time with 10 weeks and inside its budget of around £750,000, Paul says that the new-look Apartment has been very well received by the public:

“This was a difficult project, mainly because the main structural works were landlocked at the rear of the building,” he adds. “But I do think that the finished product has been worth the effort. Everyone loves the roof terrace and the convenient poseur tables in the big picture windows. I do think that this is a worthy evolution for one of the city centre’s most iconic venues and I’m already looking forward to phase two of the project.”