Archive for the ‘Bars’ Category
08/03
Tina Michelle Cheng
After purchasing an old hotel in the West Queen West Art and Design District in 2001, cultural visionary Jeff Stober teamed up with local architect Paul Syme and multi-disciplinary design firm 3rd UNCLE to realize a space that would change the way visitors and locals experience hospitality in Toronto. Through the careful planning and thoughtful renovation of a hotel that was originally built in 1890, the extremely talented creative team preserved iconic elements of the building’s past while infusing it with a new energy.
The interior program at the Drake was reconfigured to include 19 guest rooms and several new functions, which allowed guests to enjoy an intersection of “Hospitality, Culture and Community”. The cohesiveness of the concept and brand identity has continued through subsequent renovations of the hotel. Charm is found in the details throughout the hotel and in the guest rooms, appointed with custom luggage racks reminiscent of the area’s railway history and handmade dolls that patiently await your arrival. Since the re-opening of its doors in 2004, the Drake hotel has established itself as more than just a trend.
With the mélange of activities at the Drake, you really could spend an entire day there wandering from one space to the next. Start the day off right by getting centered at the yoga gym, then stop into the cafe for an espresso and pastry. For lunch, try some innovative sushi at the Raw Bar and then head up to the Sky Yard to mingle in the afternoon sun. Relax in the Lounge for pre-dinner drinks before meeting with friends to enjoy private dining in Room 222. A day at the Drake wouldn’t be complete without checking out a new band at the Underground before returning to the Sky Yard for a warm apple cider by the fire pit. If you feel as though you haven’t had enough upon check out, pop into the General Store on your way out for some Drake-to-go.
Signing off, Drake enthusiast.
Photos via Drake Hotel, 3rd Uncle Design Inc, and George Whiteside
Tags: 3rd uncle design, architect, boutique hotel, brand design, culture, dining, historic renovation, hospitality design, hotel experience, interior, interior-design, jeff stober, lifestyle, paul syme, raw bar, rooftop bar, room 222, sky yard, toronto, Underground concerts, yoga gym
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Lucky 7, is a homespun Cantina, located in the heart of Glasgow. The bar and restaurant formerly had a townhouse interior and was then redesigned by Surface ID. The new design by Surface ID combines rustic elements, with distressed/renaissance.
Lucky 7 describes itself as a ‘canteen’, which refers to its understated “distressed’ ambiance.
The interior design that Surface ID did for Lucky 7 is very rustic with exposed wood and brickwork, mess hall benches, concrete columns, long wooden tables and distressed wallpaper that is stylishly peeling in pales, which has been mixed together to construct this unusual and fascinating interior.
The distressed wallpaper gives a worn and decayed appearance, producing a unique wall effect. Adding a little softness to the interior are the cushions even though the octagonal shape of the cushions are quite hard, the fabric makes it softer, these are found attached to the wooden benches..
Generally the colour theme throughout the ‘canteen’ is very neutral and earthy but there are a few splashes of bright colours, which draws your eye towards the object such as the stalls at the bar, the vibrant red on the seat of the stall.
The menus in Lucky 7 have been printed out on brown paper, creating a recycled and eco-friendly appearance that co-ordinates with the interior design.
Lamps that sit on the table have been made from cast concrete which adds to the rustic and urban form of the ‘canteen’.
In Lucky 7 there has been a vast amount of attention to the detail making the interior design to this canteen very exceptional to most due to its unique character.
Tags: Canteen, Glasgow, Lucky 7, Surface ID
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French designer Philippe Starck has converted a former aristocratic home in Venice into a hotel. Bedrooms feature transparent glass wardrobes and the dining room contains two seven metre-long dinner tables, one made of marble and the other mirrored glass. Called Palazzina Grassi, the project was created for hotel brand Design Hotels.
Via Dezeen
Tags: design hotel, palazzina grassi, philippe starck, venice
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The Great Indoors Awards 2009 honours interior projects in Sweden, Korea, USA and The Netherlands. On Saturday November 28 the international jury of The Great Indoors awarded five interior design projects during a festive ceremony in Maastricht (NL). The Great Indoors is an international, biennial award rewarding the best public interior designs in various categories every two years. By awarding prizes and hosting lectures and workshops, The Great Indoors hopes to promote a discussion on the growing importance of the interior throughout the world.
Beijing Noodle No.9 (above) in Las Vegas by Japanese studio Design Spirits is one of five winners of The Great Indoors Awards this year.
The awards were presented to the winners in five categories on Saturday 28 November. Design Spirits (top image) were winners in the category Relax and Consume.
Swedish design studio Guise were awarded Design Firm of the Year, while Prada Transformer by OMA (above two images) was awarded in the Show & Sell category.
Recycled Office for Gummo by Dutch interior architects i29 (above) won the Concentrate & Collaborate award.
The Serve and Facilitate category winners were Amsterdam designers Studio Roelof Mulder and Bureau Ira Koers for their project University Library of the University of Amsterdam.
Via Dezeen
Tags: great indoors awards 2009, korea, maastricht, netherlands, sweden, USA
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As far as good new restaurant interior design goes Nic Jones, founder of the Soho House Group does it again with his new pizza restaurant called Pizza East. Which is opened to all and on the ground floor of the Tea building in Shoreditch. I say open to all because for those who don’t know, in the same building is Shoreditch House, which is one the most contemporary restaurant design spaces in London and which is only open to members. Therefore, the introduction of Pizza East for all the non-members who want a slice of the House styled grittiness is the perfect antidote. The site is located in the corner of the Tea building on the corner of Shoreditch High Street and Bethnal Green Road. This building lends its self perfectly to restaurant design concepts of this ilk. The site I guess can cater for 100 to 150 persons, and still with plenty of room to swing your bicycle or scooter helmet, (unfortunately cats are not allowed).
The building space already has the excellent backdrop of the tea building, which has exposed brick, concrete ceiling and columns and crittall glazed windows. However, I believe the previous tenant had concealed a lot of these finishes with either dark paint of poor lighting, I never remember the building fabric looking so rich in it’s raw state. The fabric has always been there, it just took the right operator to enhance these features.
Regarding the restaurant design layout there is a long open kitchen with two wood burning pizzas ovens. A centralised
dispense bar that neatly breaks up the space into different areas. There is also a large communal table I assume for when the site is over whelmed with customers. It has to be the biggest dining table in this area. The window seats have to be the best but we did find with the late autumn sun a little over bearing and our table of 6 had to recamp to the rear of the restaurant to avoid the sun.
The restaurant furniture design is very simple, with exposed wood table tops that are used through out the space. Industrial bent metal chairs with bentwood ply seats and backs. String formed lamps hang over the long 18 seater singer bracketed stools. Exposed galvanised extract ducting and polished chrome ventilation hug the surface of the concrete soffit. A diamond button back antique leather banquette sits against an exposed brickwork wall, with chipped enamel down lighters.
Restaurant menus design has been kept very simple, with the layout mimicking what is going on in Shoreditch House. I expected the pizzas to be exactly the same as the those in the members club upstairs. However, to my surprise the pizza arrived more rustic and earthy, the pastry being more crispy. Personally I don’t mind, I am just impressed that the group have decided to make the detail of the pizza offer different.
Overall, an excellent additional to the Shoreditch area, which we as a design team will enjoying going to in the future.
Tags: Contemporary Restaurant Design, Pizza Restaurant, restaurant-interior-design, Shoreditch House, Soho House Group
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Berlin designer Werner Aisslinger has completed a budget hotel designed to feel like staying at a friends house, which opened earlier this month in Berlin. The Michelberger Hotel is housed in a converted factory building featuring a brick facade, high ceilings, large windows and a courtyard that acts as the social hub of the hotel. Every element of the hotel has either been custom designed and built, or selected specifically for it from furniture to hand-lettered stickers on the water bottles. Each room features a unique wallpaper designed by Azar Kazimir depicting symbols and images significant to the hotel and its founders. Three room sizes are available for individuals and groups of up to four people, as well as the more extravagant Luxus room, combining elements of hotel and hostel aiming to attract both backpackers and business men.
Via Dezeen
Tags: aisslinger, berlin, budget hotel, hotel, michelberger
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A fine wine gets even finer when it can be ingested in an as thoughtful an environment as this one. Welcome to Merus, a “designer” winery like no other. Located in the Napa Valley in California, Merus looks more like a Michelin-starred restaurant than your average cellar-door retail outlet. Exposed beams are the only nod to the past in this interior design strategy, which is thoroughly modern with a hint of Californian warmth. Amsterdam-based Uxus Design is the architecture and design firm behind the winery. With more than a few inspiring, high profile projects under its belt, Uxus is one of the Netherlands’ hottest design studios – with an office to match. It’s been a busy year for Uxus, who have unveiled a number of other great retail design projects recently including the new Heineken ‘concept’ bars which will open in airports across the globe and one of Europe’s coolest McDonald’s play areas in Amsterdam.
Via The Cool Hunter
Tags: bar-design, California, Merus, Uxus Design, Wine Bar
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Hong Kong designers John Lin, Joshua Bolchover and Jason Carlow have designed the interior of a champagne bar in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Called Maison Du Champagne, the interior is furnished with raw MDF boxes, illuminated from inside. Each block is punctured by circular holes, increasing in diametre towards their tops and revealing interiors coated in high-gloss, bright colours. The inside of each box is colour-coded according to the area of the bar and its use.
Tags: champagner bar, hong kong, Jason Carlow, John Lin, Joshua Bolchover, maison du champagne
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Through the ancient times interior designs have been very popular and people in the past have been picky on the interior designs they have wanted for their homes, offices, restaurants, pubs or clubs.
First impression of everything really matters and hence that’s when interior designs come into picture. People are very conscious about the way their home, office, restaurant, office, pub or clubs looks like. This trend is still continuing today, although in the 21st century it is about the modernization of interior designs that are very different to the older times.
21st century stands out with the vast collection and variety of designs that have been designed by different interior designers all over the world. It is about recognizing the art of interior designing and the process involved in it.
Contemporary interior design styles are more likely to be recognized as International styles that are adapted from all over the world. These designs are incorporated and are linked with each other in terms of corporative designs taken from all over the world. Interior designers use the modern techniques to decorate and furnish working spaces and indoor living involving both the aesthetic and practical considerations.
Contemporary Interior design cultures
Classical and Asian culture are some of the most modern interior design cultures used to elaborate and create various interior styles. These cultures have originated through the past changing the design styles with the modernization.
In the medieval European days interior designs were more of hanging objects made in elaborate styles that were used for the furnishing of castle. This style was reformed in the middle ages with more of Roman and Green styles that became popular. The recent style comes with the combination of all the international styles. Most modernized style is usually glass or metals to give a finishing look to the interior designing.
Lighting is the important factor when it comes to Contemporary interior designing and hence arrangement of the interior designing is based on comfort, pattern, scale, color and balance.
Furniture
Furniture used in the Contemporary Interior design is often blended with the color and is more modernized than the ancient times. Furniture usually is made to complement the color and the entire designing process. Furniture is also very important aspect of designing process. The entire interior designing depends on the furniture you will opt for. You can actually make a statement, ‘Bad furniture will spoil the entire décor of your interior designing’.
Wall Paper
Most contemporary interior designers are now going for modernized wall papers that would give more of an attractive look to the décor. The interior designers choose the color and the wall papers but they definitely will sit with you to discuss if the colors and the paper used for the wall are feasible and if that is what you would like.
Most Wall Paper décor will give a very sophisticated and classic look to the entire interior designing. The entire process of it is discussed to make the client comfortable with the look.
Tags: architecture, b3-designers, bar, contemporary, decor, design, designers, exhibition, furniture, home, hotel, interior, london, modern, restaurant, retail, uk
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Placed in a narrow spacial gap next to the Cologne cathedral is the
KUNSTBAR. Another designer/artist is invited every year to create a new concept and interior for it. This year it is
Arne Quince – and part of his concept is to only serve Belgium beer, which makes this bar probably the only one in Cologne that does not serve Koelsch (the local beer). Apart from the interior designer/artist Quince is also responsible for a video installation on the walls of the bar, featuring the eyes of his girlfriend Barbara Becker.
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