Renewed atmosphere for Finland's Mecca of beer
We designed a facelift and update to the service concept of Delifox's famous Black Door bar. The Black Door has been a staple of beer culture in Finland for years, and is known as the go-to place for real ale & great beer on tap. The original location went under renovation and the bar relocated to a new location in 2016. The new premises needed a new concept to match. The main objective was to re-create Black Door as Finland's most charming living room for young, budding beer enthusiasts.
Delifox Ravintolat Oy
Kaisaniemi, Helsinki, Finland
145m²
Dozens
Real ale
Young beer lovers
We held service design workshops with members of the new target segment, to find out what are the main factors in using and choosing a bar. Based on the workshop results, we designed the bar with 5 different but subtle seating zones for 5 distinct consumer types. We named these pub user types best friends, delegations, vibers, regulars & the spontaneous.
The bar was designed to have a more relaxing and calming atmosphere, so it needed fun details to pop out. We designed custom-made colour mirrors in the shape of beer glasses to be placed on the walls. We used hat lamps, bottle lamps and old chandeliers to give the bar an upcycled image, and a neon sign to highlight the extensive bar menu. To lower costs, we reused some of Delifox's surplus furniture.
To reach the five new customer types, service interaction had to be redesigned as well. The bartenders had to embody the atmosphere. We chose a simple and easy clothing solution to help steer their service behaviour. The new costume and attitude, combined with service innovations such as free hot dogs and a clear, inviting bar, make Black Door the most charming living room in Finland.
Photos by Lauri Hytti
