What makes a pub feel modern?

If your pub is painted mostly grey or has an industrial look, it probably feels old-fashioned. The best modern pubs are just Victorian enough. These thoughts were prompted by The Crown Inn in Stockport, of course, but also by The Kings Head here in Bristol, where we find ourselves drinking at least once per week these days. Both pubs have a whiff of heritage and historical authenticity about them. If you didn’t know better, you might think they’d barely changed since the 1890s. But, in fact, these are recent refurbishment jobs that lean into the age of the building and feature light-touch changes. When The Kings Head reopened a few years ago the most visible change was the addition of William Morris wallpaper to the walls. The wallpaper was new but the design was of a similar vintage to the historic back bar. So, it felt fresh and old at the same time. The wallpaper in question is dark green and that feels like one of the key old-fashioned modern pub tones. At The Crown Inn there’s a…