The Alchemist, Spinningfields Manchester, the original site of this iconic brand, has undergone a spectacular refurbishment, with the project spearheaded by award-winning multi-disciplined design agency, DesignLSM.
Designer: DesignLSM
Founded in 2010, The Alchemist - which now has 20 venues across the country - sets itself apart from the modern-day restaurant and bar. Providing a theatrical and immersive all-day drinking and dining destination, the new Manchester refurbishment has seen DesignLSM create a concept that draws inspiration from the origins of the universe.
Delivering a dynamic experience for guests, the design – influenced by the search for the elixir of life and humanity’s continual fascination with our own origins and the subsequent exploration of the universe - references colours created through supernovas and swirling gasses, intertwined with the patterns and forms of orbital pathways of planets.
Playing upon astronomical dynamism, the bar – now a striking focal point - accentuates the relationship between light and dark - the transition from day into night – beautifully framed circular lights emit a soft glow during the day that enhances and becomes richer in hue and bolder in strength as evening progress – marking the solar/lunar progression. The bar itself plays with materiality – juxtaposing rich base metals with deep blue tiles framed by two oversized bar lamps.