Inside the popular Worthing cocktail bar that's won an award for stunning design

Heartbreaker, in The Broadway, Brighton Road, has just been announced as the winner of an international award at the World Brand Design Society awards.

Run by Ben Thompson, the drummer for indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club, Heartbreaker opened last summer when it was billed as the 'big sister' to Manuka, Ben’s other bar in Portland Road.

On winning the award, entrepreneur Ben said: “It feels amazing to receive an award that is recognized internationally. Many many months of hard work went into designing every detail of Heartbreaker, so it’s incredible to win an award for it and to be alongside some of the best in hospitality around the world.”

Heartbreaker was designed by award-winning London design studio Run For The Hills. It has a concept of a bad cupid, who rather than making people fall in love, goes around breaking hearts and mischievously pairing incompatible people.

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The World Brand Awards said: “The team then set about designing a number of creative routes for the brand identity and logos, playing with typography, brand colour palette and illustration styles. A super cool direction emerged with creative concepts for in-venue signage, way-finding, drinks coaster, menu design and fun, theatrical touch points across the venue. The brand’s tone of voice is playful and sexy.

“The show-stopping horse-shoe-shaped bar takes centre stage within the space, with a dramatic over-bar light installation designed by RFTH, in a mix of refracted light, antique mirror and mesh. The bar below is dressed in reflective materials and wrapped in layers of light; from soft washes across metallic tiles within the front bar arches to the glitter-fleck counter top and rear illumination of colourful apothecary glassware to the back bar. Light-sheet underlighting and soft glow projections on shelving makes the bottles and liquids glow beautifully.

"Cocktails will be served on lounge lizard reflective mirror tops, with others in antique brass and timber edged marbles in pinks, blushes and star-burst dark glitters. The design team also designed a neon with the words “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – song lyrics channelling the spirit of heartbreak. Other custom designed infinity mirror neons add Insta-wow factor across the venue, adding to the take no prisoners design scheme.”

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Reflecting on the first few months of trading, Ben said things were going even better than he could have imagined.

He added: “The reaction has been better than we could have ever imagined! Guests say it really has the wow factor and makes them feel as if they’re in a bar in the City!

“We’ve began to build a really loyal customer base, with regular comments saying they prefer to stay in Worthing now and support the many new great businesses that are on offer in the town!”