House of Social is Manchester’s newest go-to destination, combining shared student apartments upstairs with a lively, two-floor food hall below – the “social” side of the brand. Set in the city centre, it’s a space designed for people to eat, drink, work and socialise in, open from early morning through to midnight with food, drink, events and DJs across the week. For a venue built around bringing people together, the interior needed an atmosphere to match, and Waxman Architectural was proud to help shape that with a carefully curated selection of tiles across the food hall
The bars and tables were brought to life using Rainbow Cobalt tiles – a glossy, plain-colour tile that immediately injects a retro vibe into the space, evoking the feel of a classic American diner. Their bold, saturated finish gives the bars real presence, acting as a focal point that draws the eye and sets a playful, nostalgic tone for the rest of the food hall.
That retro thread continues into the flooring, where Winckelmans chequered black and white tiles were used in part of the space, with their iconic unglazed finish. As well as being hard-wearing and built to withstand the high footfall of a busy food hall, the chequered pattern makes for a brilliant central feature, anchoring the space with a timeless, graphic design that instantly reads as retro-diner chic.
To balance out that bold centrepiece, Brooklyn Beige was used across the surrounding floors in a terrazzo effect. This allowed the Winckelmans mosaic to stand out as a genuine feature floor rather than compete with its surroundings, while still carrying the retro theme through the wider space. It also served a practical purpose, creating a clear visual separation between different zones of the food hall simply through a change in tile style, without the need for physical partitions.
The bathrooms were designed and completed using Winckelmans dark blue and white tiles in a chequered pattern, carried right through from floors to walls and vanities. The bold blue-and-white mosaic covers every surface, reinforcing that same modern-yet-retro identity found throughout the rest of the space and ensuring the design language feels consistent from the food hall right down to the finer details.
This is such a unique project to have been part of, and one we’re incredibly proud of. Spread across two floors, House of Social’s food hall has become a genuine hub for the city – the perfect “third space” for students and locals alike to eat, drink, work and unwind, and we’re delighted our tiles have played a part in bringing that vibrant, retro-inspired atmosphere to life.
Interior Design – Vita Group – Kayleigh Millington