Absurd Bird designed by Shed

Off the wall chicken shop Absurd Bird and interior design studio Shed have come together to create the latest absurd restaurant located in Bath’s central shopping district.

Referencing the American state of Louisiana the restaurant exposes two sides of the South; Southern sharing vs Southern scaring.

Upon arrival patrons are greeted with a vibrant facade clad with a plethora of playful patterns with some outdoor seating. Past the grinning facade lies a dark, de-saturated envelope referencing the sinister silhouettes and menacing forms of Southern Gothic cinema. Sitting within the looming shadows of the clad mezzanine is the vibrantly coloured central bar. Like an overly saturated version of a Kubrick horror the bar sits ominously within the space. The bar, thrashed in bright pink and turquoise is topped with a garishly clad over-bar only seen on the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras; The over-bar; layered with crude patterns and strewn with ‘Mardi Gras Throws’ owns the space acting as the heart of the restaurant. The colourful bead ‘throws’ cascade from the over bar referencing a gaudy Louisiana swamp drooping from the black stained ceiling.

Surrounding the over bar is the sinister mezzanine; flashes of the bar’s garish personality peer through the artificial cladding depicting the wrought iron balconies of New Orleans. An eclectic mix of lighting picks out pockets of seating in the mezzanines shadows.

A large sharing table sits on the mezzanine level anchoring the various whimsical light fittings with melancholy portraits adorning the walls. Out of the shadows creep the illustrated birds; lurking beneath tables, in the nooks and crannies of the restaurant the characters playfully scamper.

The restaurant is a playful blend of garish cladding and sinister shadows. The illustrated birds add a level of humor to the dark envelope. Adorning the bar the Southern phrase ‘Everybody’s normal… Until you get to know them’ personifies the restaurant.