The Chamber refurb
In January 2026 we refurbished the Council Chamber, gaining valuable experience in what was feasible and effective when considering the rest of the building. The
old colour scheme was feeling dated and the neon lighting was harsh and slightly unwelcoming, as well as being expensive. The panels on the wall, which used to contain patterned Victorian wallpaper were also being underutilised.
One of the original painted concepts for the Council Chamber, showing the wallpaper inlays,
The main considerations were colour, lighting, carpet replacement, and functionality. Using a combination of photo editing software we drew up some concepts of how to improve the look and feel of the room. Eventually we landed on incorporating the new brand colours (dark blue and off white) to pick out the original features of the room incluing the finely desgined coving and fireplaces.
Concept image, Dec 2025
We decided to use the 2 large frames at either end of the room for large photos of the bay, with colours picked that would compliment the overall look and feel of the room. As well as that, the fresh paint would lift the overall feel of the room, with the white ceiling feeling much more spacious than the previous brown.
The Chamber, updated
The end result was surprisingly close to our concept art, with a few minor practical tweaks. The room still gets a lots of natural light from over the bay, but the 6 new lights can fill the space evenly and strongly with a warm light.
The fresh paint has completely changed the feel of the room to a more welcoming atmosphere for a variety of hirers, from arts and language classes to yoga and lectures.
The carpet has been replaced, and the paint has been stripped from the original slate fireplaces, which also have some lovely Victorian pattern tiles around the newly revealed hearth.
On the more practical side of things, the heavy chairs have been replaced with lightweight cushioned seats that are now as easily movable as the wheeled tables. The projector has also been mounted to the wall to ensure consistent video for lectures and classes, rather than the projector mounted trolley.
All in all, a much needed upgrade to make the room fresher and easier to use for more people. Hopefully this gives an indication of our continued vision to make every room more accessible and valuable for everyone in Grange and the template we hope to apply to our future building upgrades. Next up, the Planning Office!
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