Cockermouth coffee shop VeeVa!, which is owned by Mitchells Auction Company, has been nominated for a major international design award.

The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, which is endorsed by the Royal Institute of British Architects RIBA, is the only international award dedicated exclusively to hospitality design and receives entries from the world’s top architects, designers and hospitality
operators.   VeeVa! has been nominated for the Café or Fast Food category and will be up against stiff competition from London-based cafés such as Kin, Polka Gelato and Kerbisher & Malt as well as Greggs Moment in Newcastle.  Last year’s award  in this
category was won by Costa in London.

VeeVa!’s interior was created by award-winning designer Alison Tordoff of Fidget Design in Windermere who recently won “Best Hotel Interior” at the International Hotel Awards for her interior design at Cedar Manor Hotel in the Lake District.  VeeVa!’s iconic design, which became a major talking point in the town when the coffee shop opened in June last year, features two enormous contemporary chandeliers which were specially made to order in Italy.  Inspired by the Coffee Shop’s location immediately adjacent to Mitchells
auction rooms, the design also features a bespoke, hand-drawn fresco depicting
silhouettes of antique furnishings around the walls.

Interior designer Alison Tordoff said of the VeeVa! commission “For us there is nothing we love better than using the historical roots of the business as the back bone for the design brief. The history of Mitchells auction house was a great way to trigger lines of inspiration for the interiors and give the project meaning. The project stands out for me due to its unusual nature and I really enjoyed the challenge of confronting people’s perceptions
of the image of an auction house.  Although the antiques remain old, the coffee shop environment is contemporary and cutting edge.”

Coffee Shop Manager Gareth Williams said of the nomination “We’re delighted and very excited about being recognised in this way.  We’ve always known people like
coming to VeeVa! as much for its ambience and interior design as they do for
the quality of our coffee and food.  The chandeliers are like magic charms, helping to attract customers and make them feel welcome.  VeeVa! feels very special
and unique because of its design. It’s a great place to be. ”

The awards will be judged by a highly influential panel of top design, lifestyle and hospitality personalities including Alberto Alessi, Tiffany Darke, Editor of Sunday Times Style and Jay Hunt, Chief Creative Director at Channel 4.  The winners will be announced at an Awards ceremony and party in central London in September 2012.

Cockermouth coffee shop VeeVa!, which is owned by Mitchells Auction Company, has been nominated for a major international design award.

The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, which is endorsed by the Royal Institute of British Architects RIBA, is the only international award dedicated exclusively to hospitality design and receives entries from the world’s top architects, designers and hospitality
operators.   VeeVa! has been nominated for the Café or Fast Food category and will be up against stiff competition from London-based cafés such as Kin, Polka Gelato and Kerbisher & Malt as well as Greggs Moment in Newcastle.  Last year’s award  in this
category was won by Costa in London.

VeeVa!’s interior was created by award-winning designer Alison Tordoff of Fidget Design in Windermere who recently won “Best Hotel Interior” at the International Hotel Awards for her interior design at Cedar Manor Hotel in the Lake District.  VeeVa!’s
iconic design, which became a major talking point in the town when the coffee
shop opened in June last year, features two enormous contemporary chandeliers which
were specially made to order in Italy.  Inspired by the Coffee Shop’s location immediately adjacent to Mitchells auction rooms, the design also features a bespoke, hand-drawn fresco depicting silhouettes of antique furnishings around the walls.

Interior designer Alison Tordoff said of the VeeVa! commission “For us there is nothing we love better than using the historical roots of the business as the back bone for the design brief. The history of Mitchells auction house was a great way to trigger lines of inspiration for the interiors and give the project meaning. The project stands out for me due to its unusual nature and I really enjoyed the challenge of confronting people’s perceptions
of the image of an auction house.  Although the antiques remain old, the coffee shop environment is contemporary and cutting edge.”

Coffee Shop Manager Gareth Williams said of the nomination “We’re delighted and very excited about being recognised in this way.  We’ve always known people like
coming to VeeVa! as much for its ambience and interior design as they do for
the quality of our coffee and food.  The chandeliers are like magic charms, helping to attract customers and make them feel welcome.  VeeVa! feels very special
and unique because of its design. It’s a great place to be. ”

The awards will be judged by a highly influential panel of top design, lifestyle and hospitality personalities including Alberto Alessi, Tiffany Darke, Editor of Sunday Times Style and Jay Hunt, Chief Creative Director at Channel 4.  The winners will be announced at an Awards ceremony and party in central London in September 2012.

Christmas at VeeVa! was a very colourful and festive affair.

Manager Gareth went all out with the decorations and the customers were very complimentary about the overall effect!

Job Title:
Coffee Shop Assistant

Brief Biographical Info:
I grew up in the Cockermouth area before moving to Leicester and California to further my education, gaining a degree in English Literature and American Studies. I’m planning to move abroad in 2012 for work and travels!

Claim to Fame:
Last year my band supported Turin Brakes and Starsailor in concert!

Intellectually Stimulated By:
English and American Literature and literary journalism.

Coffee Drink of Choice:
Ristretto shot latte.

VeeVa! will still be a counter service establishment but we hope that the inclusion of more visible menu’s will help customers understand the full range of hot and cold food that is available to them.

Cheddar Cheese £2.95
Cheese and Beans £3.50
Cheese and homemade coleslaw £3.50
Cheese and Bacon £3.75
Tuna Mayonnaise £3.50
Chicken Tikka £3.95
Spicy Beef £3.75

All potatoes are freshly baked every day and are served with a crisp salad garnish and french dressing.

Baked potatoes can be eaten in or taken away.

Last Sunday when VeeVa! was closed to the public, the team gathered for a second training session with top barista Paul Meikle-Janney. We have now perfected the basic coffees and milk foaming – we’re moving on to latte and flat white art!

LtoR JaneTaylor, Lynne Atkinson, Kerry Bevan, Sally Scales, Bryony Smith, Fiona Chippendale

Under the glittering lights of VeeVa!’s iconic contemporary chandeliers, special guests toasted the official launch of  Mitchells new town centre coffee shop on Tuesday evening (14^th June).  The coffee shop’s interior design was devised by award-winning designer Alison Tordoff of Fidget UK and features a unique fresco design and two enormous glittering globe chandeliers, specially made in Italy, which have become a major talking point in the town.

The invitation-only wine and canapés reception was attended by over 100 people including members of Mitchells Board, local councillors, town centre traders, emergency services and accommodation providers in the Cockermouth area as well as organisations involved in the design and construction of the new coffee shop which opened its doors to the public last Monday.

The event included a speech by Mitchells Chairman, Bob Watson, in which he explained how the coffee shop initiative has enabled Mitchells to diversify away from its reliance on the agriculture sector.   He said market research showed there was room for a quality coffee shop with an up-market ambience, high quality fresh food and serving “the best coffee in town” for the benefit of shoppers, visitors and town-centre workers as well as Mitchells own saleroom customers.   “As our ‘strapline’ says, Veeva offers Great Coffee, Great Food and a Great Place to be and if our first week of trading is anything to go by, the venture will be even more successful than we budgeted.”   The venture has also created six new jobs – 2 full time and 4 part-time – and VeeVa! are actively promoting tourism in the town and area through their digital signage and leaflet displays.

The evening also included the unveiling of Mitchells new suite of high quality, user-friendly websites based on the company’s new branding which can be viewed via Mitchells’ gateway site at www.mitchellsauction.co.uk.  Guests were invited to explore the new websites via a special touchscreen monitor provided for the evening.

The event also included the opportunity for a private view of Mitchells next Antiques & Fine Art Sale which takes place in the saleroom this Thursday 16^th and Friday 17^th June.

LtoR John Chapple, Andrew Graham, Harriet Chapple & Steve Whitehurst

LtoR Alison & David Allen with Joe & Shirley Wilkinson

LtoR Robert Gate, Mark Wise, Elaine Wise, Tony Fountain CEO NDA

LtoR Interior Designer Alison Tordoff, Richard Tordoff & Geoff Chambers