We were delighted to be approached by Marston’s PLC Brook and Barter, in the beautiful town of St Neots near London, to help them with a project they had in mind.

The brief

The client was looking to create an outdoor enclosed smoking area in front of the premises that could also be used as a barrier for street furniture. The Brook and Barter is a popular eatery pub that is located on the high street in St Neots. During the day it is very popular with people looking for a good place to eat, and at the weekends it is the place to be for those people looking for a late drink. Due to its location, on a busy pedestrian throughfare, they were having issues in the evening with people entering the premises via the smoking area to avoid having to pay to get in. This had resulted in them needing to employ extra door staff to prevent this occurring and they were looking for a more permanent, but at the same time aesthetically pleasing, solution.

The design

Following our initial chats, the client decided that a multi-purpose barrier system that could be use during the day and at night-time would be most appropriate to their requirements and asked us if we could build them something that would fit the brief. We came up with the idea for a planter barrier system that would be made up of individual planters on wheels that could be moved into the appropriate configuration and then latched together to provide the type of barrier that the client was looking for, giving them an outdoor enclosed smoking area whilst preventing people from getting into the premises without paying. Each of the planters features a removable top section as well. This type of movable structure made it easier for the client to ensure that their smoking areas was secure and the only entrance to the premises in the evening could be via the “in” door.

The end result

The planters were created using durable wood panels, and we decided to give them a good height to help provide a very defined barrier. We used black cabin hooks to create a system that allowed the planters to be hooked together to form the barrier and we added castors to the bottom of each planter to allow the client to be able to move them easily. Finally, each planter was completed with the addition of some sturdy faux hedging that could be removed if necessary. The resulting wooden planters with foliage offered the client a stylish and practical solution to their problem whilst offering them the outdoor enclosed smoking area that they needed.

The client was absolutely delighted with the finished product.