What a difference a year makes… Roll the clock back 12 months, we stood on a run-down patio area with a mismatch of chairs and an area crying out for investment and some much needed TLC.
It was at this point, and with the support of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, through the Business Resilience and Recovery Grant Scheme, we decided to overhaul. After a lot more discussion and thought, the established brief was far ranging, and the challenges clear from the outset. We wanted a space that was aesthetically pleasing yet worked within our beautiful landscape and complement the existing old farm buildings. It needed to be practical, durable and offer flexibility for the diverse types of customers we welcome – from families to informal business catchups. We plan for it to age well, hoping to avoid looking dated within a few years like the previous space, but not at the cost of burdening daily maintenance in what is already a busy, and varied workplace – no pressure then!!
TD Design was on hand to provide a concept, and numerous amendments to try to achieve as much of the above as possible. This led to consultation with Roger Gladwell Landscape, borrowing on their experience and discussions with their craftsman to further develop ideas resulting in a uniform plan that worked around the core component designed by Shade Space.
Then it was on to the construction of the area, going from multiple pieces of paper to months of deliberation and determination to deliver as close as possible to the design laid out months before. The team from Roger Gladwell Landscape guided us as we worked to the schedule, dealing with the inevitable difficulties of materials, and unavoidable delays that were experienced across the board at that time.
Arguably, the continual discussion and ideas generated as we got further into the detail of all the different components helped to get as close to the original brief as possible, to the finished product. We worked collectively to source furniture, and tried to always strike a balance from what we as business wanted and what the customer would expect. The project gathered pace in the build up to Christmas, and the finer details and finishes came to life early in the new year. Almost a year to the day from the first concept drawing, we stood under the new cover, and looked out over the entirely altered outside café area.
The coming months will be the real test of whether it has achieved what we set out to do. The hard work does not stop here, we will be casting a watchful eye over the space; how does it work with our customers; how do we make it work for us; tweaking and adapting accordingly to maximise the space and investment. We welcome you all to come and visit.
