Harbour Lights Cafe // Old-fashioned yet rustic, contemporary beach side vibes
Harbour Lights Cafe & Restaurant on the promenade in Peel is a favourite of locals and visitors alike, serving great British food in cosy and welcoming surroundings.
The ambition was to revitalise the cafe's interior while retaining the original (self-assured twee) character of the old-fashioned tea shop that appeals to its loyal clientele. A subtle and sympathetic design hand was thus required to manage such a refurbishment.
American ‘summer beach chic’ destinations such as New England and The Hamptons were used heavily as inspiration for the design aesthetic of this space - a classic yet super relaxed embodiment of coastal sophistication. Fortuitously, the space is blessed with an abundance of natural light which helps this style really shine.
An elegant, timeless style based upon a quintessential foundation of layered neutrals colours. A base white colour foundation is complemented by soft blues, subtle pinks, mint greens, neutral greys, and naturally-inspired shades of stone and sand. By continuing the colours and textural elements of nature throughout, this style becomes cohesive - at one with the great outdoors. A sisal weave carpet adds luxurious, contrasting texture, plus the soft pastel wool upholstered chairs, pulls the room together perfectly. Reclaimed mixed wood tables with painted white legs happily rub shoulders with the distressed, heritage-washed serving buffet and vintage crates. A retro radio player sits proudly on the waxed railway sleeper shelves of the mint green corner dresser.
Painted white, tongue and groove ‘weatherboard style’ cladding on the walls provides vertical linear structure over which the more whimsical embellishments - such as the vintage Victorian fireplace tiles, the floral-patterned curtains and the decorative shelf curios - are overlaid. A balance between formality and frivolity is achieved.
The best of the cafe's traditional decor has been restored and contemporised, blending farmhouse rustic with British seaside elements to breath new life into a Manx classic.
An interior your Nanna would be proud of.
