'The most exciting part is seeing people having fun'

If you're visiting one Liverpool's many independent restaurants and bars, there’s a good chance you're sitting in a venue that’s been shaped by Richard Eastwood, an architect whose firm has been at the forefront of changing the face of Liverpool's hospitality industry for decades.

- By DANNY GUTMANN

Raised in Wirral, Richard, 58, took his first steps into a career in architecture when he studied in New York and Berlin.

During his time abroad, he recalled how both cities were brimming with inspiration from every corner: “In Berlin the wall had come down a few years previously.

“I lived in the east of the city on Kollwitzplatz, and there was a real energy and optimism - people setting up clubs and coffee houses in disused communist blocks.

“New York was, and always is, a huge inspiration to me. It reminds me very much of Liverpool - it has the same energy, where just about anything can happen.”

“It was an incredibly exciting time in both cities. It helped broaden my perspective in terms of design.”

However, while Richard says that his studies helped change how he saw “the built environment and the possibilities of spaces” he believes his interest in the industry could have come even earlier.

He said: “My dad, Dave Eastwood, was a DJ at Radio City, so I was always at gigs and in restaurants as a child. The irony of specialising in clubs and bars isn’t lost on me now.”

As he returned home from his time abroad, many of his friends set off for the capital to begin their careers, but Richard decided to settle back home on Merseyside.

He said: “There was a real good energy to Liverpool, there were lots of great creative companies in the city that had chosen to stay, like shedkm architects and Uniform.

“Lots of my friends had gone straight to London, but I just felt there was more potential to do things in Liverpool.”