Wallington Grammar School
Wallington County Grammar School gave Pinnacle an open brief for the refurbishment of their dining hall so we brought our creativity into play! They knew they needed to resolve queueing and behavioural issues, increase seating numbers and create a go-to breakout space for staff and pupils.
The Brief
Through liaison by our interior design team with the school’s senior leadership team we created visuals and samples to convey our concepts.
When designing a dining hall space, our designers try to make it feel like a café, restaurant, or social area distinct from the school while still retaining the corporate branding of the educational entity. The creative colour scheme (based on the school’s blue and yellow logo), the decoration to highlight the pillars, the Jewel ‘ghost’ chairs, the Feast benching and tables, and the banquet seating all helped to create a social and fun feel to the space where pupils and teachers could interact on the same level.
What we did
Branding and signage was used throughout as this creates a visual co-ordination through the dining hall while also helping direct the queues, and a vinyl flooring design provides designated walkways and queuing space. Fixed storage units were installed by every exit for waste, drinking water, trays, and cutlery. A secluded corner behind a curved bar gave 6th form students their own designated space.
The combination of furniture included tables and chairs, bench seating, bar seating and even some bar tables for standing so that pupils could go to where they felt most comfortable without a forced regimentation of the area. The ‘before’ image shows just how great the transformation was in the dining hall, creating a bright and welcoming space for students to relax and enjoy their meal.