DesignLSM has recently completed the eighth site of the leading smokehouse brand Red's True BBQ in Newcastle's intu Eldon Square. The 240-cover restaurant pays homage to the religious reverence that the founders James Douglas and Scott Munro pay to the art of barbecuing. This is subtly translated in the site, through large wall graphics and the intimate 'confessional' areas, which include a private dining room and dedicated smokers area.
There are two entrances to the restaurant, one from the exterior and the other through the shopping mall. The mall side is visually open to the public providing them with a teaser of the 'Red's experience' - although once inside the diner is immersed into an ambience that recreates the atmosphere of the rustic shacks and warehouses that James and Scott frequented on their annual pilgrimage of discovery across Southern America.
To ensure this identity was translated, DesignLSM's designers made the materials the main focus - creating a stripped back interior using an array of industrial materials including 3D cladding, glazed steel caging and repurposed timber. Specific design features include bespoke bike chain chandeliers, steel gas canisters and reclaimed shipped containers which have been furnished with decorative layers of wire mesh and corrugated iron.
The rough materials and brash graphics combine together to create a raw and masculine aesthetic communicating to the diner the inspiration and passion that the brand has for the homeland of the true BBQ.
Photography: Juliet Murphy