As hotel, restaurant, bar and leisure designers, one of the best ways to get us feeling creative is to fully embed ourselves within the hospitality industry. It helps to see what the latest trends are and explore the venues consumers are visiting. Simply being away from your desk can trigger a new idea. We also spend time researching local areas so that each design tells a story and is representative of the location.

As part of her annual creativity day, one of our senior designers, Rachael Sheldon wanted to explore what Jersey has to offer in terms of the food and drink market. She is working on a hotel project in a similar coastal town so wanted to visit as many food and drink venues as possible during her stay to get a feel for the venues. During her visit, she wanted to take time out for herself enjoying the stunning coastlines. Simply walking along the coast and enjoying nature is an effective way of improving creativity.

Creativity and nature

There are several studies that have found a link between exposure to nature and creativity. According to a study conducted by Stanford  researchers [i], 80% of participants were more creative during and after a hike than when sitting down. Another study, completed in 2012, by Ruth Ann Atchley et al..,[i], looked at the consequences of more time spent with media and technology over nature. The research found that backpackers who spent a few days hiking showed higher levels of creativity in a word association test than before they immersed themselves in nature.

Enjoying hospitality experiences

One of the venues Rachael loved during her visit was The Blind Pig which is a really cute speakeasy hidden away on a back street in St Helier.  This place was great if you were after something a little different. It offered a great selection of cocktails, and the staff were incredibly attentive and knowledgeable.

During her visit, Rachael stayed at The Grand Hotel and loved being able to see the coastline thanks to a sea view room. Guests have access to the spa area to encourage rest and relaxation and the hotel also has a cinema where all guests can book to watch a film of their choice.

Visiting Bohemia Bar

One of the highlights of her trip was a visit to Bohemia Bar which is within a hotel that has a Michelin starred restaurant. Rachael booked into the bar for their lunch menu. The food was so good they ended up staying for a three-course meal and had to cancel their evening meal reservation as they had such an incredible lunchtime experience.

Exploring design influences

During her stay, Rachael did a lot of walking and there are some fantastic buildings with French design influences. There were also some great wall murals around and she enjoyed just exploring and soaking up the atmosphere.

Something different 

Most of the ABDA design team have been to visit London for their creativity days but Rachael wanted to do something totally different and head to a coastal area. Jersey has been running a big campaign on the TV and radio to drive tourism, so she thought this was a good opportunity to see what it had to offer.

Looking back on her experience and the introduction of creativity days at ABDA Design she said: “I thought the introduction of a creativity day for every team member was a great idea. We attend a lot of hospitality and design shows, but it was nice to go off and do something that would benefit each person personally and professionally. It’s so important to step away and take a break. I tend to find if I am struggling with an idea, that when I step away from it the solution or design will then just come to me organically.”

References 

[i] Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Give your ideas some legs: the positive effect of walking on creative thinking. Journal of experimental psychology: learning, memory, and cognition, 40(4), 1142.
[i] Atchley, R. A., Strayer, D. L., & Atchley, P. (2012). Creativity in the wild: Improving creative reasoning through immersion in natural settings. PloS one, 7(12), e51474.