REFURBISHMENTS have been completed on the Mansion Bar and Grasslands café at Edinburgh Zoo a year after the Penguin Café upgrade.
The recent completions were headed by Space Solutions, who also undertook the refurbishment of the Penguin Café for the zoo last year.
The café and bar form part of the Mansion House, originally built in 1793, which sits in the heart of Edinburgh Zoo and functions as a year-round event venue.
Led by senior interior designer, Isobel Jones-Watt, the café and bar now have updated furniture options to try to be more accommodating different guests and events.
Jones-Watt said: “Our initial reaction to the Grasslands Café was to break up the space by introducing angles in both flooring transitions, furniture layout and suspended ceiling features.
“This mimicked more movement to represent the grassland’s natural environment, in a space which previously resembled a linear canteen.
“Much like the Penguin Café, we developed an identity for the Grasslands with graphic designer Heather Cumming.
“[This] complimented our bold colour palette alongside featured full bleed black and white imagery which in turn provided a warm, playful yet functional space for dining.”
In the café, Space Solutions say that the dark ceilings, large wall graphics and a colour palette inspired by the dry grasslands themselves.
The mansion bar’s new palette is accompanied by feature wallpaper and colour blocking to attempt to nod to the bar’s historic architecture.
Refurbishments have also tried to improve noise distribution with suspended acoustic baffles from the high ceilings as well as updating the toilet facilities.
Beccy Angus, head of discovery and learning at RZSS, said: “We are delighted to have continued our collaboration with SPACE on two of our wildlife conservation charity’s most popular hospitality spaces.
“RZSS’s mission is to create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved, and the refresh of Grasslands and Mansion Bar offer improved spaces where we can encourage people to relax and reflect during their time at the zoo.”
