RENOIR CINEMA, BLOOMSBURY

CLIENT: ARTIFICAL EYE

LISTED GRADE II

The facelift of the former Gate Bloomsbury was completed within just seven weeks and on a budget of £80,000. Tight budget notwithstanding, the scheme successfully evoked the feel of a French arthouse and attracted a loyal cinemagoing audience. 

The decoration incorporates cream walls with a curve-free pattern in dark grey. The bar has a black lacquer finish and mirrors, while the carpet was designed to reinterpret the entrances to 1930’s French apartment buildings. The budget was insufficient to address problems arising from the twinning of the original single screen; however, new seating was installed in light blue velvet and the front of house areas were improved. 

The strong graphic identity for the Renoir is used to mark the entrance through a Miesian box on the forecourt to the Brunswick Centre.