When architects Haworth Tompkins designed the new Everyman theatre in Liverpool, a fundamental part of the brief was to ensure that the environment had to be inclusive and welcoming without being too extravagant.
Kirwin & Simpson were called in to help with the seating for the new auditorium and were asked to create a contemporary, comfortable style which would fit with the theatre’s image as a modern, democratic venue which sees itself as having a reputation for ‘breaking the mould and spotting top-notch talent.
Part of the interior design theme involved the use of wire barriers and panels, which presented K&S with some interesting fixing problems for the many variations of removeable seating and disabled provision required in the brief.
Another trick to enhance the warm welcoming feel the architects were after, was to upholster the seating fabric upside down, to give the seating an already ‘lived in look’. It all adds up to a contemporary theatre that already has an established look, despite being brand new.
