Siobhan Murphy is not the kind of woman to let lockdown cramp her style — or her spirits.
The exuberant star of BBC’s Interior Design Masters With Alan Carr was so determined to inject some fun into the pandemic, she created a cocktail lounge in the tower of her stunning Art Deco home.
The pink Miami-style bar room has served as a romantic rendezvous for date nights with lawyer husband Nick as well as as a glamourous backdrop for Zoom parties with her girlfriends.
‘Our friends say it looks like we’re in some cool cocktail bar in Miami or Los Angeles,’ says Siobhan, 42.
‘When we are spending so much time at home it’s so nice to go up to the tower room bar as a treat and a change of scenery.
‘And, of course, the drinks are plentiful — no single measures allowed — there’s no queuing at the bar and we can listen to our own playlist… although with Nick being a heavy metal fan that doesn’t quite work for me! And there’s no waiting around for taxis at the end of the night!’
Siobhan’s white, detached house is called Chatelaine and something of a local landmark in her hometown of Castleford in West Yorkshire. As a girl she used to walk past it every day on her way to school and dreamed of one day owning it.
It had been built for an eccentric GP in the 1930s. ‘I found old newspaper articles saying the lady had the tower room built with special glass in the windows and used it as a solarium where she sunbathed naked with her friends. Nick and I haven’t tried that yet but you never know,’ she laughs.
When she moved in two years ago, Siobhan knew the tower room would make a perfect entertaining space. Lockdown was the perfect time to start the project.
‘The plan was to create a bit of escapism and luxury,’ she says.
‘I love anything Art Deco and the flamboyance of that period — but I didn’t want Chatelaine to be a time capsule. My decorating style is Art Deco with a modern twist as I enjoy mixing period pieces with contemporary styles. And I love pink and gold which I wanted to be showcased in the design of the bar.’
Siobhan designed the banquette seating to fit perfectly in the curve of the window, using a mood board and lots of pictures to create the shell-back shape.
‘Then I chose a lovely Laura Ashley blush velvet fabric which should have been £40 per metre but I got it for £10 a metre — which was a good job as I needed 30metres of the stuff! I hired an upholsterer and frame maker and the seating was made and installed within two weeks.’
The initial inspiration was a 1970s vintage bar Siobhan found online for £300. It wasn’t in great condition but she loved the shape.
‘I gave it a good clean and painted it in a pale plaster pink. I used gold leaf on the spindles and some of the details. To finish it, I poured resin on the bar top to give it a shiny and resilient surface. And, voila, the bar of dreams was made!’ she says.
The bar is decked with trinkets and treasures. ‘One of my favourite pieces is a decanter that looks like a crystal and another one that is in the shape of a stiletto shoe. Add into the mix a giant flocked red cherry, my signature feather floor lamps and a “press for champagne” sign that I designed with its own bell and it really is my perfect bar.
‘The swan coffee table was a £40 bargain from Facebook Marketplace and I gold leafed the base. Accessories are like the jewellery of the room — they just finish it off and create that magic.’
Siobhan is now counting the days until lockdown hopefully lifts on June 21 so she can invite friends over to christen the bar.
‘We’ll all need to let our hair down,’ she says. ‘I’ve bought lots of cocktail books and stocked up on supplies. I’ve even created my own pink cocktail which includes Parma Violet Gin, ice cream club soda, a squeeze of fresh lime and a candy floss top.’ Cheers to that.
Create your own mini bar
Siobhan says: ‘If you want to create your own bar but don’t have a spare room to transform, create a little area in your lounge with a bar cart. You can pick these up second-hand for as little as £20. They’re really nice to style up with a few glasses, plants, trinkets and of course a few bottles of your favourite tipple.
‘Alternatively, create a rainbow gin shelf with different-coloured gin bottles — add some fairy lights and you have the perfect post-lockdown party set-up!’
Get the look
Pineapple ice bucket
£75, nordicnest.com
Rosaline hobnail jug
£95, klimchi.com
Velvet palm pink cushion
Layla adjustable chrome leg bar stool
£125, next.co.uk
Orrefors Kosta Boda lipstick decorative ornament
£89, amara.com
Pink diamante glass ball wine bottle stopper
£8.99, onbuy.com
Cocktails neon sign
£84.99 notonthehighstreet.com
Luxury ostrich feather floor lamp
£389.46, onbuy.com
Rose Gold cocktail accessories
£60, notanotherbill.com
Siobhan is currently appearing on BBC Interior Design Masters With Alan Carr. Visit interiorcurve.co.uk or follow her on Instagram @interiorcurve.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/09/interior-design-masters-star-reveals-how-she-created-own-cocktail-bar-14211054/
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