Student sets high bar with Bridge of Sighs blind design
“I thought of images that would work from different angles”
A student-designed fabric mingling abstract glimpses of the Bridge of Sighs and other architectural features of St John’s has been used to create striking new blinds in the renovated College Bar.
The original pattern was created by second year History student Isabella Bottle, who transferred her hand-drawn sketches of the bridge, the Chapel roof and elements of the College’s Tudor courts to a tablet and manipulated them to create the design.
A sequence of four blinds draws down over the metal screen covering the Bar at closing time, ensuring the space retains a cosy feel even when drinks are not being served. Tables in the Bar area can be used by College members even outside of opening hours.
The spectacular Bar, Buttery, and Café opened at St John’s at the end of January 2023 to meet the demands of 21st century studying and eating. The contemporary social spaces set within historic buildings represent one of the most significant projects for the College in recent years.
Isabella’s creation began as an entry to a College-wide competition for a design for a scarf for the Johnian Society, a group which fosters relationships between members of College that Fellows and students are automatically eligible to become life members of.
Isabella said: “I thought of images that would work from different angles, according to how the scarf was draped, and look good from far away.”
Her work was so inspiring that she was asked to adapt it as the basis for the new fabric, which uses traditional Johnian colours of dark red and green to complement the décor of the renovated Bar. The facility has been fully refurbished as part of a radical overhaul of the social spaces at the College.
The silk scarf designed by Isabella is available to buy
The new Bar, Café and Buttery opened after an 18-month refurbishment project.
Banner photo credit: Isabella Bottle.
Published 10/02/2023