mckerron's
Scotland
Mckerron's is the studio's first foray into interior decoration and full concept ideation. A friendly bar in the heart of Scotch Whisky Country, Mckerron's aims to offer a relaxed home-from-home for locals and visitors alike.
01 — brand
02 — creative direction
03 — interior decoration
04 — concept
Alexander Baxter Studio designed the identity and interiors for Mckerron's bar, and collaborated with the partners to nail the concept and creative direction. The social campaign we implemented led to knock-out engagement and two weeks of at-capacity weekends, with strong local buy-in and conversion.
Our core priority was to create a warm and inviting space which felt like home, set within one of Moray's largest bars (and with an almost invisible budget). To help make the large space feel more manageable, we created three distinctive zones.
To the front of the building, we used a custom mineral paint on walls and ceilings to create texture and depth. We ripped up the beer-soaked carpet, and replaced it with burnt scaffolding boards. Sitting on top of this is a collection of antique furniture from around Scotland. The lighting is low, the seats are comfy – a happy coffee spot by day, which transitions into a great place for Guinness as the hours while away.
Moving from the dark and cosy front room, the bar opens up with off-white and an exposed sandstone wall, each playing host to more contemporary pieces of art. The bar is stocked with more paintings, books, and nick-knacks. The brighter, lighter spaces makes for a super backdrop for bottles of wine or gins and tonic.
Towards the back of the bar is our den. Drenched in Farrow & Ball de Nimes blue, here you'll find a pool table, old bar mirrors, and a massive telly. It's for chilled-out pints and long, long pool tournaments with mates.
Alexander Baxter Studio is a small but diverse creative practice based in Scotland and working globally. We’re particularly interested in the hospitality, travel, and creative sectors. Alexander works with a small team of in-house and network creatives on beautiful projects at all scales. Together, we create brand strategies, visual identities, websites, printed matter, photography, illustration, and films.
Selected Clients →
The Fife Arms
Pulizter Hotel, Amsterdam
Riggs Hotel, Washington DC
Selfridges
Graduate Hotels
Savills PLC
WildLand
Hästens
Quo Vadis, London
Appel, NL
Marine & Lawn Hotels
Moxton Architects
Brown & Brown Architects
Selected Publications →
The World of Interiors
House & Garden
Elle Decoration
The Times of London
The Wall Street Journal
British Vogue (Digital)
BBC
The Gaurdian
Conde Nast Traveller
Dezeen
Channel 4