A FORMER furniture shop and cinema will reopen to the public in a completely new guise today.

Refurbishment of the former Macdonald’s store in Fossgate is complete, and new bar and restaurant Cosy Club opens its doors to the public today.

About £1 million has gone into creating the Art Deco-inspired venue, which is filled with paintings, vintage decorations and furniture, and nods to the historic building’s heritage - as well as some modern and unique touches.

Paul Alexander, senior operations manager for Cosy Clubs, said the venue’s new look had been inspired by its history, and included a 180kg brass double chandelier over the ground floor - the biggest in any of the 18 Cosy Clubs around the UK.

He said: “We have a beautiful venue, being the old Curzon cinema, and hence we try and use that kind of authenticity with the building to inspire and lead through with each venue, so each Cosy Club has a unique and independent feel.

“We are a kind of casual, all day dining and drinking establishment where you can pop in for a cup of coffee and a natter with your friends, drop in for lunch with the wife and kids, or come out and put your glad rags on for a glass of wine and a cocktail and go somewhere for an evening meal and a sense of occasion.”

The venue is split over two levels, with seating and standing areas downstairs, which has a bar backed with a red velvet curtain, Greek theatrical masks, and flocked wallpaper among dozens of framed paintings. Upstairs, the mezzanine level is a carpeted, 1920s-inspired area with its own bar, framed posters and table service.

Paul said staff at the new venue were looking forward to taking part in the upcoming Fossgate Festival, and he believed the revamped Macdonald’s would provide a unique presence in York.

He said: “Certainly the upstairs area has got a real sense of occasion and a real nod to the 1920s.

“You really have a kind of different feel to the building and a great sense of occasion when you sit here, sipping a cocktail, overlooking the venue and the bar downstairs.”