Garage 39 | Donington Park

Donington Park, the famous motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Derbyshire first opened its doors in 1931. At one time used as a military vehicle storage depot during World War II, today it is one of five motorsports circuits owned and operated by MotorSport Vision (MSV) Group in the UK. Garage 39 is a brand new, industry leading, all-day dining concept located in former paddocks at the heart of the circuit.

Studio KKD were approached to design the all-day dining experience combining a café, bar and restaurant located in what was previously a paddock suite used by the press. Our brief for Garage 39 was to transform the straightforward warehouse space into a destination venue for visitors to eat, drink and revel in the lively racing atmosphere. Our main goals were to inject plenty of personality as well as zoning the space, in order to make it work both on high-traffic race days and during quieter periods.

Given the fast-paced nature of the sports taking place at Donington Park it was important for us to reflect a sense of precision engineering and technology alongside an appreciation of the sports prestigious heritage in our concept design for Garage 39. We devised the ‘Workshop Kitchen’ concept, a vintage motorsport-inspired look and feel featuring antique industrial finishes alongside more contemporary motorsport references. The bold aesthetic reflects the raw power of the sport, with warm and cool greys alongside highlight accents which reference traditional racing colours.

With a café, bar, and restaurant all located within an open space, the operational layout needed to be carefully considered. Relevant ‘service stations’ allocate the user to the offers around the perimeter, whilst low level walls with upright mesh screens create internal zones and form the backdrop for the restaurants banquette and booth seating. Playful furniture and lighting pieces, including ‘oil-drum’ stools, nuts and bolts hanger pendants, and hanging vintage headlights were all incorporated as an additional layer of concept detail. Hard surfaces, exposed ducting and metal edge capping all enforce the look and feel of a working garage space.

Feature wall graphics and table top patterns were designed by Studio KKD in house graphic team, with inspiration taken from patterns synonymous with racing such as trackside kerbs, chevrons, and a deconstructed engine.