Blooming well at The Elm Tree

The Elm Tree is an extremely busy bar and restaurant situated in Glounthaune, Cork. Owners, Derek and Lorraine Walshe, sought well established Architectural and Interior Design practice, O’Leary Architecture + Design, to bring their expertise to this buzzing spot and turn it into a five star structure inside and out.

O’Leary’s are well known for delivering successful and commercially aware design solutions for the hospitality sector. The aimwith this project was to create a new premises which reflected The Elm Tree’s high quality food and undivided service to their customers care and comfort. They also wanted to create modern back of house facilities for their staff.

The architecture, interior design and project management of the building and fitout project was carried out by O’Leary’s. The project required demolition of the old back bar and restaurant areas, the building of a new extension with a new bar/restaurant and refurbishment of the existing front bar. The extension also included creating new conference, kitchen and staff facilities. The key element is the differing seating areas from outside at the Courtyard Beer-Garden to the inside bar and restaurant, and subtle separation of the cravery area, which gives this chilled and tranquil atmosphere.

The brief from the owners was analyzed in detail by O’Leary’s and the project was teased out and developed through in-house design explorations and client and design team working sessions. Beginning with the sketch design (the initial concepts and overall planning of the project) the project developed through stages. Next was the planning application and fire safety certificate stages and from there it moved up to construction information for competitive tendering for the building and interiors.

This construction information was developed further and then the project was carefully project managed on site. Roisin O’Brien, who worked heavily on the project, explains:”deadlines were met effectively and minimum disruption was caused to the existing building which had to remain open”. Looking at The Elm Tree, the finishing truly is chic, sharp and simply a space one would be pleased to spend time in. Externally the design has a contemporary feel; their use of high quality clay brick, copper cladding and lush (?) timber has created for them an exterior which responds carefully to the spaces outside and within the building.

The sheer consistency of this whole design flows from the first sight of the premises all the way through. These specific materials of brick, copper and timber were chosen for their ability to read at different scales and to change naturally as the building does. Allwood Architectural Joinery provided quality craftsmanship in their joinery skills. John O’Connell Furniture was responsible for all the seating and tables in the newbuild. The result gained from designing the building and interiors together is a fully integrated environment with each element linking to its location and function. The clients, Derek and Lorraine Walshe, felt O’Leary’s met all their requirements and surpassed their expectations.

Derek O’Leary and Roisin O’Brien at O’Leary’s worked closely throughout with the owners to ensure that the design and realisation of all elements of this complex, high spec project were achieved. The project needed to be done on a tight budget. It also could not interfere with the day-to-day running of the business, the front bar and offices had to be kept open and trading. This was achieved with careful management of the programming, site works and heath and safety.

Derek O’Leary tells me how crucial the knowledge and enthusiasm of the clients proved, which was complemented by the commitment and hard work of the design team and contractor. In an age where budgeting takes centre stage, it is important to ensure you are getting that highly finished product even though you may be spending less. For O’Leary’s interior projects they competitively tender all elements of the project by sourcing at least 3 quotes. They believe their strong points are their unique expertise in hospitality design, knowledge of specialist design and products and proactive management. This places them in a position to meet budgets without a compromise to the quality they provide.

The owners of the Elm Tree noted the importance of having O’Leary’s specialist knowledge of hospitality design and products meet with their wishes for a 5 star building design and fit out. O’Leary’s diversity of service rightly gains them admiration; residential, corporate, commercial, retail, leisure and tourism projects. While they boast a wealth of experience, their main commitment is offering a personal and highly committed service to their clients. A business driven by success and creativity in their projects, O’Brien speaks of efficiency and value for money just as passionately.

It is maintaining this individual attention to each project, which has been the feature of their approach since the business began. For all that is derived from each project they do, what stands out clearly is a commitment to matching their client’s aspirations, operational requirements and budgets. It is these commitments that earn them their repeat business amongst clients. O’Leary states: “The development of each individual project relies on continuous interaction between client, site, brief, space, budget and materials, allowing aspects of each element to re-inform or question aspects of the final design and building”. Derek O’Leary and the team are ambitious going forward, having a broad range of building and interior projects on the future agenda.

O’Leary finishes by saying: “We are focusing strongly on our core services to ensure that we provide an affordable, efficient professional service to clients. We also now provide a design or design & sourcing only service to clients who for budget reasons wish to take the project on site themselves”. A business forever continuing to maintain their reputable service.