Interior Design That Performs

august house | bar DESIGN GLASGOW

“A design studio that thinks like an operator, delivers like a contractor, and creates like an artist.”

— G.JOHNSTON, CLIENT
Logo reading 'Rough Design Partnership' 
STRATHCLYDE university | STUDENT UNION DESIGN GLASGOW

what we do*

  • Bars, restaurants, and hospitality venues: from independent operators to multi-site groups. Service flow, atmosphere, durability, and the details that make a venue feel considered.

  • All things brand, from brand activations and experiential spaces: drinks events, pop-ups, product launches, brand experience environments. Brand and identity design.

  • Student unions and university spaces: multi-use venues that handle daytime service through to late-night events. Designed for durability, flexibility, and the kind of atmosphere that competes with the high street.

  • Visitor centres and attractions: distilleries, heritage sites, brand experience centres. Storytelling through space, retail integration, and the journey from arrival to purchase.

  • From menus, to websites to apps and everything in between. We start with the brand and then add the tools for success.

we work with

Independent venue operators investing in a space they'll run for a decade. Restaurant groups expanding a working concept into new locations. Universities and student unions upgrading campus hospitality. Drinks brands and agencies building experiential activations. Distilleries and visitor attractions creating destination experiences.

port o' leith bar DESIGN edinburgh
University of Strathclyde logo with a shield and the text 'University of Strathclyde Glasgow'
Logo for Di Maggio's Restaurant Group featuring their name in gray text on a black background.
The logo of Innis & Gunn, a brand of beer.
Heineken logo with a star above the word HEINEKEN
Text reading "G1 GROUP" with decorative lines above and below
The word "PUNCH" with a punching fist icon above it. 
absolut brand activation

Frequently Asked Questions*

*WHAT EVERYONE ASKS WHEN THEY CALL

  • We design commercial interiors — bars, restaurants, brand activations, student unions, visitor centres, and distillery experiences. If it trades, hosts, or sells, we've probably designed one. The common thread is commercial performance: every project is designed around revenue, footfall, and operations, not just aesthetics.

  • It depends on the scope, but we work to a capex sheet on every project and design to the budget from day one. A single-venue bar or restaurant is a different conversation to a multi-site rollout or a university campus. We'll tell you early if the brief and the budget don't match — no surprises at tender.

  • A single-venue bar or restaurant is typically 12–16 weeks from briefing to opening. Brand activations can be faster — we've delivered in as little as 4 weeks. Larger projects like student unions or visitor centres run longer depending on stakeholder sign-off and procurement. We'll give you a realistic programme at the start.

  • Edinburgh is home, but we work across Scotland and the UK. We've delivered projects in Glasgow, the Highlands, across the central belt, and further south. We just need a decent train connection and a site visit.

  • We think like operators. The brief starts with commercial targets — covers, spend per head, dwell time — not mood boards. The design is tested against how the space actually runs, and we stay on site through build and snagging. What you see in the renders is what you get in reality.