When The Little Venice and The Club owners decided to renovate the popular eatery and nightclub facility last spring, the plan started out with a small renovation that was going to expand over the next three years, according to Bath/Butterworth Architects & Interior Designer consultants, Ms Nancy McLeod and Ms Sue Bendell.

But brothers, Costanzo and Jacky DiMeglio and founder, Emilio Barbieri wanted to revolutionise the establishment and create big changes. "They felt they'd make more of an impact if they renovated it all at once,'' said Ms Bendell.

"The Little Venice group had a concept in mind to start with,'' she added.

"They wanted to create a sophisticated atmosphere geared toward a more mature crowd.'' "The Little Venice know their customers very well,'' added Ms McLeod.

"And they knew what needed to be done to please their clients.'' Ms McLeod and Ms Bendell put together schematic plans for the Little Venice and worked closely with them to develop the concept the Little Venice was looking for.

The restaurant closed down for one week while mostly cosmetic renovations took place.

"The walls received a new paint job in a faux finish carried out by Four Winds Studio,'' said Ms Bendell. "And we introduced more banquettes (bench/couches) to the restaurant.

"A fireplace was built into the wall to add warmth to The Little Venice. And the front entrance was reworked,'' said Ms Bendell. "Basically we made the restaurant into a stylish more casual eating area and saved the real sophisticated flare for upstairs at The Club,'' she said.

The lighting above the dance floor and the sound system are the only remaining features from the old club, according to Ms Bendell. "Everything else has changed,'' she said.

"We moved the bar to one end of the room which provided us with more flexibility in how the rest of the area was used. The Little Venice wanted more space for dining -- they're serving lunches -- so we had to accommodate for that,'' she said.

"We also made some level changes at the back of the Club and reduced the size of the dance floor which expanded the seating area,'' Ms McLeod said.

The Club concept is that of an ornate-looking sophisticated club where people can relax over a long meal, said Ms Bendell. "The chairs, which are covered in tapestry upholstery, are more comfortable,'' she said. "And we introduced a brick wall adorned with specialty wine racks on either side of a fireplace.

"The metal ceiling was taken down to get away from the pure disco look and replaced with dry wall. And we opened up all of the windows,'' said Ms Bendell. "This lets natural light in during the day.'' Also, tiel-green Bermuda shutters were constructed to adorn the windows as a decorative treatment. "This provided us with the opportunity to use some colour in the room,'' said Ms McLeod.

The Club has been restored into more of a sophisticated multi-purpose facility where clients can enjoy luncheons during the day and have a late night dancing club at night, according to Ms Bendell.

"We're very pleased with the results,'' she said.

REFINED ELEGANCE -- A quiet drink or late night dancing at The Club.

NEW LOOK -- The Little Venice restaurant.

COZY CORNER -- The newly-designed Club.

BUSINESS BUC