Newcastle interior design firm unveils “ambitious” overseas expansion plans

The award-nominated interior design firm Collaborative Design has unveiled “ambitious” expansion plans as it looks to grow beyond the North East and continue to build its team of talented designers.

The Newcastle based company has announced that it is setting its sights on larger-scale projects across the UK and abroad, having established itself as one of the “go-to” interior design firms for Newcastle’s independent bars, clubs and restaurants.

The company has also launched a new website today and a full rebrand as it looks further afield for business, both in terms of expansion throughout the country and the sectors it serves. The firm’s sister company Bilateral Design Limited is currently in talks for a large hotel resort project off the African coast valued at $60m (approx. £48.1m).

Through the project, Collaborative Design Limited will carry out the majority of the work which could take anywhere between 2-4 years and provide further capital for the firm to expand its UK and international portfolio. The firm also hopes to double its current team of 11, made up of designers, marketers and architects, to 20 by the end of the year.

Over the last two decades, Collaborative Design’s managing director, Chris Sutton, has designed some of Newcastle’s “most impressive venues”. Notably, Gosforth’s Barluga, a bar and restaurant located within the walls of a converted church, is one of the company’s most notable designs.

Chris Sutton commented: “With a good budget and an amazing space of a converted church, we were given free rein to create the new incarnation of the Barluga brand, receiving accolades and a nomination for Bar/Restaurant of the year at the Northern Design awards.”

Over the last 15 years, Chris has also worked with “one of the North East’s most successful late-night haunts”, Tup Tup Palace Nightclub, designing the original concept and working regularly with the venue since, reinventing the space to keep up with “ever-changing tastes and trends”.

Having designed numerous pop-up venues seen across Newcastle in recent years, including Lazy Bear, Urban Garden and Jesmond Beach Box, to name but a few, Collaborative Design is now looking to expand into the UK festival market.

Sutton began his career with the BBC, designing bars, restaurants and other social spaces at the BBC Television Centre and other locations across the South East. He later joined the award-winning nightclub design firm, GMP, before migrating to Newcastle, the city he has called home for the last 26 years

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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