The Portrait retains its spirit and values

28th July 2009, 12:49pm

The Portrait Restaurant, located in the National Portrait Gallery and operated by catering firm Searcy's, has been fully refurbished and now boasts a 'sleek, contemporary feel'.

Adsdesign, who were commissioned to refit the venture, explains to Eat Out how they approached the project and how they met the client's brief which was to bring the restaurant 'up to date'.

What was your aim when designing this venue?

Both the National Portrait Gallery and Searcy's wanted to bring The Restaurant up to date without losing its spirit and its values. The venue is successful and our challenge was to enhance without changing the character and atmosphere.

How did you achieve this?

We actually retained some of the existing elements; the oak flooring, for example and the furniture have a timeless quality that has empathy with the Gallery architecture. We reworked the bar servery to help with the restaurant circulation and to give greater impact and we introduced banquette seating to the main body of the restaurant again to give impact and increase comfort. With one eye on the existing finishes we feel that the introduction of new materials such as back painted glass and leather has been successful.

What would you describe as your key and unique features?

This will always be the sensational view out over the City combined with Searcy's operation. The offer is delivered with real presence and style, but the overall feeling is one of informality which I think is unique. From a design perspective I would say that the introduction of the banquette seating has added positively to the customer experience.

Do you have a particular style?

I wouldn't say that we have a particular style as such, as all projects require different solutions and I think that part of our success is that we are adaptable. I believe that too many designers are more concerned with satisfying their own egos rather than helping their clients to increase revenue or protect their investment. If we don't route from the business need then we are not doing our job.

Stage by stage, how do you approach a new project?

This is a big question but in short and leading on from the last answer, it is really important to get an understanding of the client's business together with the operation and build from there. I see that our role is to look with fresh eyes and to challenge why 'things' are as they are. Once we have a firm grasp of this we are in a good position to move forward with the design. 

In that respect our considerable experience of Hotels, Bars and Restaurants worldwide helps us to bring knowledge to these early discussions and I believe often influences positively the formulation of the client brief.

In this respect Searcy's are always great to work with, because they know their business well and have a constructive and pertinent briefing process.

What is the size of the venue?

The venue is approximately 180 sqm (trading area including servery but excluding back of house). There are approximately 90 covers.

Did everything go according to plan during the project?  If you were to change anything what would it be?

Well almost. We found a concrete 'bund' under the original bar servery which we could not remove and so at the 11th hour we had to redesign the new bar around it. The contracting team did a very good job of accommodating this within the already tight programme. I don't think that we would change anything else.

What are your recent projects?

Besides the NPG we have a number of other high profile projects currently under development with Searcy's and have recently finished the lobby of the Royal Horseguards Hotel for Guoman. We are also heavily involved with InterContinental Hotels; most recently with their Staybridge Suites extended stay hotels and New Generation Holiday Inn.

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