Scotland

Dimension UK

Dimension UK profile Jungle- Edinburgh

Trading for 25 years, Dimension UK work on a wide variety of projects, including the refurbishment and fit-out of hotels, spas, restaurants, pubs and nightclubs.

Based in Glasgow, the company has joinery and French-polishing workshops which produce both traditional and modern items. Previous partners include The Hilton, The Doyle Collection and The Ability Group.

Recently Dimension UK has worked as the main contractor on a number of projects for some of Edinburgh’s top tourist attractions; Edinburgh Castle and Edinburgh Zoo.

442 Designs were the designers on all three projects.

Benugo Tearooms, Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle’s Benugo Tearooms has undergone a complete refurbishment to make the most of its beautiful castle surroundings.

The project began in January 2012 and was completed in April 2012. Managing Director of 442 Designs David Dunn spoke to Premier Construction about the projects. He said:

“On Buengo Tearooms, we refurbished the space and changed what was on offer. The existing restaurant that was in that location was in the main square of Edinburgh Castle and it wasn’t performing well, the food offer and the whole identity of the design wasn’t right. We took it back to a much more informal tea room where you go for a coffee or afternoon tea, but Benugo also sells two or three hot snacks.

Dimension UK profile Jungle- Edinburgh

“We tried to contrast the old castle with modern feature fittings, for example against the traditional stone walls and floors we used wire chandelier type lighting. The tearoom is now completed and it has been doing very well against the projected targets.”

Dimension UK and 442 Designs implemented a new design and colour scheme throughout including new seating and furniture. David added:

“There are three parts to the tearoom. You walk firstly into the main bar and seating area, then there’s a middle courtyard area and a tearoom. One of our key tasks was to try and tie these areas together so they feel as one. In the courtyard we put in some new flooring and planting. Trees have transformed the courtyard into an orangery and link to the marmalades they’re selling with scones.

“We’ve used up-lights to pick out the original stonework and also we’ve put church pews in there. These gave us linear seating which fits in with the space quite well and also the historical aspects of the building.

“There was a real combination of furniture, decoration, lighting and one of the key features in the design was the use of mirrors which drew light into the space and reflected it. The windows are quite small in the castle so it helped to make use of the natural light.”

Grasslands Restaurant

Grasslands was one of the two restaurants which Dimension UK and 442 Designs worked on at Edinburgh Zoo. Both were started and completed in 2011, with Grasslands the first to open.

The restaurant, which has been trading for about a year, was intended to be an eatery for those who want a relaxed lunch or coffee and provides an alternative to the other more fast-food based venues and outdoor catering stalls.

Dimension UK profile Jungle- Edinburgh

David said:

“The Grasslands is intended for those with a little bit more time who want a calmer place to eat rather than Jungle Food Court which is mainly fast food and groups but the flexibility allows people to have a three course lunch or just a coffee.

“We took the zoo idea and tied it closely to the visitor experience. It was a dead space which had been used mainly for people coming in with packed lunches. We put a hot food counter in at one end of the room and a cake and coffee bar to give people more flexibility.

“We refurbished the whole space so walls, floors, ceilings, kitchen- everything. It was a complete makeover and the colour palette we used was loosely based around the savannah and grasslands, with some features like butterflies on the wall. When you’re in there you get quite a sophisticated touch of animal life, rather than a childish one.”

Jungle Food Court

Also at Edinburgh Zoo, Jungle Food Court is a much larger space that is able to handle groups of visitors.

David said:

“We used the idea of scale in Jungle. We put some big graphic wildlife images on the walls lightshades in bold colours. We also used some really strong primary colours in the furniture and finishes so that the whole thing has quite a robust primary feel to it.

Dimension UK profile Jungle- Edinburgh

“The food offer itself was simple. It’s just pizza, burger or fish and chips and we split the counter into three so it has clearly defined areas. On the front elevation of the building we cut through one of the windows and created a hatch where you can buy coffee or ice cream.

“The whole thing has an environmentally friendly theme to it with an emphasis on sustainability, there are messages on the table tops about the importance of conservation of the jungle, but we also have a strong recycling message so there’s a recycling station in there too.”

Dimension UK and 442 Designs have not only been successful in finishing these projects to specification, but they have also proved to be a commercial success.

“The key result of these projects is that all of them have been very successful in improving commercial return for the client and have even exceeded expectations for that.

“In each case the commercial return for the client has been better than anticipated, which has been good for them from a business angle but it has endorsed our approach, from understanding their objective and making it work.”

Furniture Realm Ltd

Furniture Realm specialise in the manufacture and supply of contract furniture into the hospitality industry.  Working with their partners throughout Europe and the Far East they offer a specialist procurement service and have grown their business through sourcing the right products at the right prices.

Established in 2007, this year Furniture Realm Ltd have established their own upholstery and manufacturing facility which enables them to offer bespoke and one off feature pieces of upholstery to clients specifications.

John Wilson, Sales Director at Furniture Realm Ltd said:

“We have worked with several themed attractions recently including Edinburgh Zoo, Warner Brothers and Central Perk recreating the TV café set from ‘Friends’. Working from images of the TV set we faithfully recreated the look and feel manufacturing a complete range of bespoke soft seating.”

The company has also worked with many well known high street operators including John Lewis, Sainsbuys, Premier Inn, Burger King and Costa Coffee.

John said:

We were first approached by 442 Designs to source a specific dining chair for the Grasslands Restaurant. We proposed a variety of colourful molded plastic chairs, one of which was selected to use in the restaurant.

“We went on to supply and install two models of brightly coloured plastic dining chairs and contemporary molded bar stools, standard aluminium table bases and laminate table tops as well as overseeing the digital print of a range of unique table tops in the Jungle Food Court.

This was an important project because it was a high profile venue that gave us the opportunity to work with a creative interior design practice and showcase our ability to create a unique interior.

“We pride ourselves on total customer satisfaction and establish strong relationships with all of our clients. Our ability to deliver combined with our knowledge of furniture design enables us to deliver a successful project every time.”

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