The theme was based around Babylon, two main reasons, the first being to show everyone a little bit of Iraq's proud past, and secondly because it is 'dateless', by which we mean it will not be 'in', or equally, go 'out' of fashion!!
The original procession walkway in Babylon had lions carved into the brickwork, this we have adjusted to suit by having the facsimile lions walking above a row of 'bricks' correctly scaled down to suit. The colours of the walls represent a cross between the original stone and dried mud that was used in that period. The wall finishes are roughcast to be similar to a stone / mud finish. The wall lights represent flamed torches along the procession way.

The rosettes between the lions and the trees were the nearest we could find to represent the flowers at the base of the original and also on the Ishtar Gate within the tiled borders.
The trees above the lions were not on the original walkway, however, they represent the "Tree of Life" part of a very famous stone carving that shows the tree 'giving birth' to many other trees.

The blue wall at the end of the restaurant depicts the actual Ishtar Gate in Babylon. The animals on the "gate" again are facsimiles of the original Persian Bulls and Husu (mythical dragon). The brickwork has again been simplified but still retains the overall theme and style of the original. The shade of blue was again, the nearest to that we could find of the original.

The arches are themed throughout the restaurant from the entrance onward in the style of the Ishtar Gate arches, simple curvatures that break up the straight lines of the wall / floor tiles and complement the softness of the ceiling.

The two water features are carved replicas of ancient statue. The statues of course were not obviously fountains, but we wanted to have something to represent the watering systems from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

With this historic theme going through the length of the restaurant we could not have a suspended ceiling and tiles. We ended up deciding upon the tented look. We wanted it to feel warm and relaxing inside, and this was the option that we both agreed would give that feeling.

The bronze wall lights were made for us in Morocco, while all of the ceiling lights were hand made and imported for us from Syria.

The writing on the walls is shown in Aramaic, the ancient language of Iraq, and which is still spoken by the Christian communities. Translations are shown in English.

Obviously (I assume!!) there were no bars in the Babylonian period, but to help fit it into the surrounding décor, the themes of the walls were extended onto the actual bar. The lions and rosettes were painted to represent bronze, and their use also softens the numerous straight lines that the bar had to be made up from.

The Bretton Buffet was one of the few pieces of furniture that would actually 'fit-in' to this style, this piece dates back to circa 1820 and was brought over from France.

All other decorations have been sourced as far as practicable as 'un-dateable', in both composite material and style. I think we succeeded in not showing or using (unless absolutely necessary) any plastics or laminates, but were of course limited in styles as to what we could use in some areas, for example in the Disabled wc.

Overall we think it all 'gels' together, (despite all of the mandatory signs and devices) and is inviting to passers-by to want to come inside and explore.

We would welcome any comments that you have, whether good or bad as we need to know your honest thoughts to allow us to succeed. Please do not be shy!!

The Mesopotamia Team