Work is underway to give a popular fish and seafood restaurant a complete makeover in readiness for a busy run-up to Christmas.

KTM Design, a Bournemouth-based interior design company is helping Sobo:Fish to reinvigorate its dining spaces with a full refurbishment.

The Southbourne restaurant has been serving up fresh, locally sourced dishes to the community since March 2020.

Owner Matt Betteridge runs the restaurant alongside lifelong friend and Head Chef, Phil Etheridge.

Matt’s two daughters, Megan and Lorena, also work as part of the Sobo:Fish team.

Sobo:Fish’s refurbishment comes as the Seabourne Road restaurant gears up for a busy Christmas period with festive bookings seeing a 70 per cent increase compared to last year.

Matt said: “After only being open one week before lockdown, Sobo:Fish has overcome its fair share of challenges.

“Our team worked incredibly hard to keep us going during Covid-19, providing home deliveries and collections, as well as overhauling our garden to maximise seating capacity for Covid-restricted dining.

“As a result of everyone’s efforts, evening bookings have doubled since completing our outdoor dining refurbishments and we’re now proud to be the number one seafood establishment in Bournemouth on TripAdvisor.

“We’ve had an overwhelmingly busy period since fully re-opening and Christmas is set to be even more popular – especially as so many festive celebrations were cancelled in 2020.

“We want to welcome the winter season with a fresh new look, giving people the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic dining out experience after missing out last year.”

Katie Thomas, Founder of KTM Design, said: “Sobo:Fish is known in the community for its friendly, inviting atmosphere, and high-quality dishes which showcase the very best of the south coast.

“We wanted to ensure their new design stayed true to these values, while reflecting a fresh, updated image.

“Our design follows a Scandinavian style where we chose warm neutrals, blue tones and soft linen textures to give a warm, welcoming feel with a nod to the natural environment.

“This is contrasted with coarse accents, such as the fish scale tiles and ropes to bring a strong pattern into the design without being overpowering.

“Our design centres around the bar in the middle of the restaurant, with its boat-shaped front welcoming and guiding customers into the restaurant.

“We’ve also designed large feature wall murals which include different sea creatures to leave a bold, lasting impression with customers and make for a truly memorable dining experience.”

Matt said: “We pride ourselves on working with suppliers who are right on our doorstep, so KTM Design was the ideal partner for our refurbishment project.

“We’re excited to see our vision come to life over the coming weeks and share our new look with customers from December 1st.”