Headingley Taps, Leeds

The Concept for Headingley Taps was taken from the ‘tap’ reference ( the premises are sited on land originally known as ‘Well Close’ and the building was once a water board pumping station) leading us to look at how materials reacted with water for example metal, which is reflected in the rusty wallpaper, and Verdi-Gris copper effect bar cladding and upholsteries.
Headingley is synonymous with student life and the test match cricket ground so the venue’s design is VERY student/sport orientated. The bric a brac scheme echoes this and there is a playful element in the dripping of the paint splashes on artwork.
To cope with the hordes of thirsty students a large feature bar greets them on arrival, complete with heavy-duty raw-metal backfitting with beer barrels and ‘trickling’ neon sign. Bespoke weathered copper light fittings hang above the counter.
The space immediately beyond the bar servery was reconfigured to create a new booth area to cater for large parties.
The main bar drinking area features poseur height seating with concealed amber led lighting enhancing the textured wallpaper. Industrial style tube lights provide ambience to this area again with playful neon led lighting. JMDA opened up the space by removing the cladding to the screens and adding mesh to give better lines-of-sight. A mandatory large video wall was installed for those big-match days and a ‘factory style’ 3D montage adorns the walls at high level.
New booths are the focus of the dining area with their own TVs; ideal for groups/socialising. We softened the area with natural stained timber shelving & rustic metal planters containing faux planting with imitation taps above to give the illusion the plants would be watered as a further homage to the building’s history.
The interior is completed with bespoke wallpaper recognising the venue’s long established presence on the famous ‘Otley Run’ pub-crawl route, in neon.
The exterior now has a larger garden area to the front softened by astro-turf and highlighted by colourful furniture together with poseur-height drinking booths with faux planting to the rear. The whole area is defined by large planters and rope ‘fencing’ whilst the building facades have new feature lighting and crisp new signage.