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| 20:16 Wed 14 May 2008 |
Tag: Bars
These items have all been tagged with the tag "Bars", You can see other tags in the Tag Cloud| Blue Frog Lounge - Mumbai |
| 2008-03-12 16:12:49 |
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Everybody is going crazy about Mumbai's Blue Frog, opened earlier this year. It's a 1,000-square-meter complex that includes a club, restaurant, lounge, sound stage, recording studio and sound lab, all encased within the massive walls of an old warehouse in Mumbai's mill district. The Blue Frog Club interior may remind you of those delirious nights at the end-of-summer Exhibition with its midway games, roller coasters and dizzy-making rides. Or you may suddenly start channeling Queen Amidala, addressing the StarWarsian Senate from her floating pod. Luckily, Blue Frog does its dizzying job in a way that is totally stylish - not a tacky thing or overdone costume in sight. And everyone's table is definitely on level ground, although it does not appear so first. Designers Chris Lee and Kapil Gupta formerly of Chris Lee Architects and Contemporary Urban, and now of Serie (London and Mumbai) have managed to create a cohesive yet exciting space by stripping the visual cues down to a only a few very strong ones. The equilibrium-challenging effect is achieved by the clever surround-millwork that uses a circle as its main form. The mahogany-paneled millwork circles each round table, forming circular booths or pods in somewhat varying shapes at various levels, guaranteeing great sightlines for all. Not wanting to compete with the lighting or other embellishments of the stage acts, the interior is dark except for the top surface of the booths. The glowing back-lit resin surfaces tie the seating area together even when a stage show is on, and make it a bit easier to gain one's bearings in the otherwise dark space. Like seating in a Roman amphitheatre, the pods circle and rise from a stage area that can also double as standing room or dance floor in a club set-up. Acts from India and from around the world are starting to make Blue Frog Mumbai's hottest club. By Tuija Seipell |
| Electric Birdcage - London |
| 2008-01-15 14:17:30 |
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Opened in late fall 2007, Electric Birdcage at Haymarket in the heart of London’s West End, has been receiving mixed reviews. One thing is certain, though, it IS getting a reaction from everyone who visits. Electric Birdcage is a magnificently weird combination of Alice in Wonderland and Russian Aristocrat, dim sum parlor and late-night cocktail bar, sophisticated party venue and silly funhouse. The owners, brothers Richard and Anthony Traviss, knew where to go for eccentric and totally extravagant interiors: to London’s beloved venue designer Shaun Clarkson. His handiwork can be seen, for example, at La Pigalle, Covent Garden's Denim, Play Room, Profile, Power's Acoustic Room, The Bloomsbury Ballroom, Atlantic Bar & Grill and Jerusalem. Electric Birdcage’s surrealistic interior includes a Fibonacci-style patterned floor, tables made of tree roots, gigantic pink hands for chairs, lavish Vegas-style mirrors, imposing black stallions, two snarling black polymer panthers, a carousel bar and iron birdcage chandeliers dangling from a pink ceiling. Even the DJ operates from a birdcage. Capacity crowd of 300, served by cute staff in retro airline get-up, can order Pan-Asian fare by head chef Somporn Khamsaenphan all day, and stay until 4 am enjoying cocktails by mixologist Chad Shields. You and seven friends can share the signature Electric Birdcage bowl filled with a mix of champagne, Absolut Raspberri peach schnapps, Cointreau, Absolut Citron, strawberry puree, gomme syrup, orange juice, fresh raspberries and blueberries. That should elicit a reaction, if nothing else will. By Tuija Seipell Random Archive Huvafen Fushi Jason Mark Karen Walker Transparent Car |
| Dennis Simachev - From Moscow With PlayStation |
| 2007-11-14 19:20:46 |
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The in-crowd in Moscow knows Denis Simachev. The only place to buy his Special edition PlayStation 3, his just-launched sunglass line, his special Ducati motorcycles, his snowboards or hand-made shoes is Simachev’s one and only store at 12 Stoleshnikov Pereulok. The recently unveiled flagship is a hybrid of a store, bar, restaurant and art space. In addition to rare special-edition items, it showcases Simachev’s true Russian, irreverent fashions, jewellery (both for men and women) and furs in an authentic-mixed-with–surrealism environment. The Englishman and New Zealander in the kitchen cook up everything from panini sandwiches to Kamchatkan crab, and absolutely nothing flows out of those golden faucets. The bar is well-stocked, though, and the prices reasonable. Simachev is a Muscovite born in 1974 and a graduate of the Kosygin textile academy. He is a veteran of Milan and London runways and his brand is sold around the world. But for that PlayStation, you need to head to Moscow now. By Tuija Seipell (spotted by cool hunter reader - Veronika Turkanova) |
| Roxy - Brazil |
| 2007-10-22 14:45:39 |
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Say "Brazil" and most of us think of Rio, carnival, party and beach. But those who for some reason end up in the central Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, that has neither beach nor Rio, will be glad to know that party is alive and well here, too. In the state's party-crazy capital of Belo Horizonte, the swankiest neighborhood is Savassi. And there, Roxy is making itself famous as the top chic night-club - not an easy feat in this city of bars and clubs. Roxy owners Robert Marent and Jajá Jácome gave local architect and DJ Fred Mafra creative freedom and he came up with a retro-futuristic madhouse. Enter the check-in tunnel, ask permission to enter, and you'll half expect HAL's "I'm afraid I can't do that." Luckily, HAL doesn't work here and so the city's sexy crowd is allowed into the naughty Red Lounge wallpapered in graphic designer Dinah Verleun's crazy work, and into the eerily sterile Green Lounge that is more space ship than anything HAL ever controlled. The focal point of the circular main dance floor is the DJ's preaching pulpit made of acrylic rock that pulses and changes color with the beat of the music. This is Discovery all over again. By Tuija Seipell. |
| Kitchen Club |
| 2007-09-20 16:29:48 |
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You are in Stuttgart and in need of a cool party space. Or maybe you just don’t know what to do with your spare old house. Either way, you’ll want to connect with the Berlin-based trio of architects —Thorsten Blatter, Andreas Blödow and Georg Schmidthals — at and off . These guys have just reclaimed an old house in Stuttgart and created Die Blaue Caro (German for Blue Diamond), an ever-changing temporary club. They call it a kitchen club and, on last look, it did indeed resemble a kitchen slightly. Here’s how it’s done: Use blue and white tile samples for wall and floor coverings, position cool objects on tiny shelves jutting off the tile walls, crank up the superior sound system (by Logitech) and invite some fun people to your funky kitchen, which of course is the place where all good parties start and end anyways. Each event alters Die Blaue Caro space, an idea that is typical of and off. They use found objects and eclectic combinations of styles, and they want the spaces constantly converted and rearranged. So, check out Die Blaue Caro now, while it’s still a kitchen. By Tuija Seipell |
| T-O 12 Nightclub, Stuttgart |
| 2007-07-18 14:26:03 |
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T-O 12 is a new nightclub on Stuttgart’s notorious “party mile,” Theodor Heuss-Strasse. Like the street, the club is also named after the late Theodor Heuss, a fun-loving, dashing man and the first person elected for a full term as the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. Clubbers call the joint either Theo (T O sounds just like Theo in German) or Theo Zwölf (=Theo 12 in German). To create the three-story club, the owners hired two Stuttgart-based firms: Architecture and communications firm Ippolito Fleiz Group, and graphic designers i-d buero. The result is a sleekly mysterious, pitch-dark space with white furnishings and massive black-and-white murals. The all-black walls, ceilings and floors together with the huge mirrors and tiny light spots produce an effect that is vertigo–inducing and fun. Theo would approve. By Tuija Seipell |
| Private Karaoke Clubs |
| 2007-05-20 08:54:52 |
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Yes, we all saw Lost In Translation and thought, ‘hang on a minute, if Bill Murray can seduce Scarlett Johansson by singing ‘More Than This’ then maybe we could too!’ Let’s face it, karaoke has always been the butt of bad movies, and its reputation is currently languishing somewhere between Japanese businessmen necking methylated spirit and hen parties ‘cutting loose’. But recently, it has started to reclaim its cult status from half-tanked brides-to-be, and become a little bit more palatable. This new karaoke bar has been quietly, or rather, loudly, winning acclaim for its alternative approach to the nation’s favourite pastime. Rather than the dark booths of your standard karaoke club, this new private members’ sing-along has incorporated young artists to help liven up the interior. Think Manga cartoons but with a Lichtenstein edge. Each booth has its own distinctive decor, and every surface has a graphic to reflect the spaces they fill. Which is a far cry from the matted walls and vinyl floors some bars choose. And most of all, it’s members only, so there’s no need to worry about being harassed by a woman with oversized fairy wings stuck to her back. By Matt Hussey. See also - WALL ART |
| Will & Toby's Taylor Square - Sydney |
| 2007-05-15 04:36:17 |
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Every city craves what it ain’t got. In Sydney, where much salt-crusted fun can be had during the day, the nightlife is a little wanting. Met a Sydney-sider lately? Yeah, we’re sure you’ve heard the lament. Sure there are clubs. And pubs. But as far as sophisticated establishments go, where one will happily pay handsomely for a drink in the knowledge that a percentage of said drink goes toward paying for the ambiance and the privilege of flattering lighting, well the options are thin on the ground. So no big surprise that the latest drinking hole to hit the Emerald City has attracted A-list buzz. Will and Toby's Talor Square on the notorious Oxford Street strip can be best described as a gentleman’s club, very much derivative of the bars in London’s Mayfair and New York’s Upper East Side…and the late night venues that Melbourne does so well. The interior is positively dapper – parquetry floors, black chesterfields that extend for five metres (!), art-deco flourishes and a spectacular baroque-esque fresco in the stairwell. Fittingly, the first floor - The Supper Club – is a late-night jazz and cabaret venue that can seat 250 guests, run by Sydney jazz stalwart Paul Misbrener. Upstairs is the Club Lounge – the kind of place that makes you want to drink your Martini’s very very dry. It features luxe leather couches and perfect lighting, and a cute smokers balcony, overlooking Taylor Square. It’s also one of the few places in town where a corporate type in good suiting can get something to eat after 10pm at night. Oysters, club sandwiches etc are available until 1am. This establishment is a very long time coming. Brothers Will and Toby Osmond – who pushed Sydney’s rather conservative dining and drinking parameters several years ago when they launched their original late-night bar/eatery up the road – have been working on the project for four years. Sydney, however, has been waiting forever for a grown-up place where you can actually dress-up in finery, get a feed at an unconventional hour and not feel like you’re the oldest person in the room because you just want to be able to go out for once without sitting in a beer-drenched couch. By Sarah W via TCH Australia |
| Eat. Drink. Be Famous. (Spotlight Live - New York) |
| 2007-05-09 17:20:25 |
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There aren’t likely to be many eating or drinking establishments that can offer the star power of Spotlight Live, located right at New York’s Times Square. This jumbo karaoke emporium on something much stronger than steroids is a 23,000 square-foot, four-story potential nightmare for anyone but those with a craving for the limelight. With fake paparazzi waiting at the door (your mug will show up everywhere), and your record contract waiting to be signed inside, you are in for a real expose. Once you’ve selected your song, you are whisked to the VIP green room (with white leather couches of course) where you and your performance are polished and perfected (if possible) with the help of choreographers and make-up artists. Off you go on to the massive stage where a professional band and back-up singers are ready to make you sound like a star (again, if possible) as your stellar performance is streamed live to the web and onto a 25-by-40-foot Jumbotron in Times Square. With the five recording booths, seemingly hundreds of flat screens and constant instant messaging between tables, you may forget that there is food, too. Mini gourmet burgers, cotton candy and crispy rock shrimp will keep you happy as you ogle and critique those braver than you on the stage. The concept has more star power behind it than most places with the joint efforts of three serial hospitality entrepreneurs: Elisabeth Blau with serious Las Vegas experience, Kerry Simon of Las Vegas and Iron Chef fame, and former Jerry Bruckheimer production V.P. Jennifer Worthington. By Tuija Seipell |
| New Gold Mountain - Melbourne |
| 2007-04-17 03:40:08 |
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A new week, a hot new bar: Melbourne. Some cities put their drinking holes on bold display, all glass frontage and brazen invitation. Some don't. Melbourne is certainly in the latter camp, and, not surprisingly, its latest bar offering, New Gold Mountain, is a hole-in-the-wall affair found down a cobble-stoned lane way and somewhat reminiscent of a womb. Or the inside of 'I Dream of Jeannie's bottle. New Gold Mountain, is brought to us by a team of four locals who've worked in leading bars in Melbourne and London. They've teamed with young Australian architect Cassandra Fahey, who (for those who follow such things) designed the controversial house for Australian football sensationalist Sam Newman back in 2000 (the one with the two story glass frontage embedded with Pamela Anderson's face). For this project, Fahey took the old tailor's studio on the outskirts of the city's Chinatown district and created a space that works to a distinct opium-den theme. Downstairs speaks of colonial-era Shanghai, with two fireplaces decorated with the Chinese zodiac. Upstairs is the Poppy Room featuring plush pink fabrics suspended from the ceiling. And nana-esque furniture. Pretty and comforting. Just as Jeannie would like it. And the drinks? They specialize in sours. The music? Something described as "nouvelle-vague Joy Division revisions". Which certainly pegs the clientèle into a certain age bracket. A space you might have to track down yourself, but will certainly envelop you once you're in. Sarah W |
