The cocktail bar Bardem is situated in a first-class location in Helsinki. Many office buildings, but also shops have settled there and offered the varied potential for appealing gastronomy concepts. For the studio Fyra, the challenge was to transform a two-storey former sales area into a bar concept which literally captivates the guests, but at the same time also offers an opportunity to retreat from the hectic pace of everyday life.

They decided to centre the room around a large bar and make it the heart of the entire interior concept. Especially the curves of the bar, which were covered with wooden panels with a light, honey-coloured finish, catch the eye. Perfectly arranged spirits, together with stylish, painting-like wall decorations, complement the generous bar counter.

The mysterious appeal of a Speakeasy Bar is enhanced by the subdued, atmospheric lighting and the dark colours of the interior. A curtain-like navy-blue background in a velvet look exudes a touch of classic theatre charm, while deeply upholstered furniture invites guests to sink in and relax. The interior combines old and new in a natural way, curtains and recycled furniture (newly upholstered) lend the room softness and intimacy. The subdued lighting also offers protection from prying eyes and gives the guests the peace to relax.

A special highlight on the wall was created by Fyra with the help of ceramic tiles, which were produced by long-time firing in a classic tunnel kiln. The studio used the tiles in different colours and played especially with the exquisite high-gloss glazes. “The tiles play an important part in our interior concept, as they bring life to the dark, dimly lit room”, explains Laura Järvinen, the interior designer in charge of the project. “The high-gloss surface perfectly harmonizes with the soft shapes and materials we used in this bar. We also arranged the tiles in several horizontal rows and used a colour gradient to create a perfect visual link between floor and ceiling.”

Fyra chose the colours mid-grey, olive-green flamed and benit-blue. The centrally inserted strip tiles with wave profile (also olive-green) give the wall a rhythmic three-dimensional structure and create different visual effects, depending on the incidence of light. Well-balanced, the upholstery of the bench, the wall lamps and the folds of the multi-layered curtain hanging above it adapt the texture of the strip tile format. The result is a new, stylish yet casual cocktail bar and a unique, harmonious “total work of art”.

Fyra

The post Bardem Helsinki was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Inspired by the client’s love of all things Italian, Glorietta is a bar and 220-seat restaurant in Sydney designed to shape a corporate precinct into an agricultural ancestry and tone, all within the building’s pre-established constraints. As the podium tenant, void of history and restricted by poor street visibility, Glorietta involved the challenging transformation of a stark, voluminous, glass box within a new landmark tower.

Due to Glorietta’s elevated position, civic scale, and commercial character, the buildings tenancy had no sympathetically inherent texture or softness, no history, and no context on which to draw the design concept from. Faced with a blank canvas and multiple challenges in building an inviting, friendly intimacy and warmth, the team set about crafting a design beneficial to patrons, floor staff, and the wider local community.

The client was keen to deconstruct the vast, open, and commercial space into separate, more intimate zones to encourage various functionalities and dining options. A key challenge presented itself in the form of the space being void of any existing character; to counterbalance this, zoning was achieved by applying a range of floor treatments to contain each space. From polished concrete around the bar and northern dining areas to timber boards in the central dining space and concrete slabs surrounding the kitchen, each variation in materials helped to distinguish the separate zones – as well as build personality and interest. The large scale, volume, view, and elevated floor area also became advantages to creating theatre and spatial uniqueness throughout the venue.

In support of this, the clever use of five different seating options further established each zone. From the high timber tables and stools at the bar, long communal tables and the built-in olive-green leather banquettes, rust-red-toned tables, and individual bentwood chairs. Varied seating options offer intimacy and choice depending on patrons dining and drinking needs.

A visible, traditional pizza oven and open kitchen capture the energy of a classic Italian restaurant and the theatrics that accompany this. A dining counter and bar ribbon the entry – which not only frames the entry but adds to the atmosphere and visual intrigue. A central bar was strategically positioned for maximum street visibility ​and to contain the venue’s footprint, scale, and proportion.

An earthy, organic, and warm palette was achieved via the careful selection of contemporary, yet durable, furnishings and fittings. Tonally gentle design elements soften the space. Recycled timber, olive​ and apricot leathers and tiling, rust-red tables, brass, creams, and wheat-colored​ linen curtains encircle the venue, while a vaulted rattan ‘cloudscape’ obscures the impact of the silver ceiling panels and offers yet another layer of warmth and natural texture to the space.

Sustainability played an important role too, materials were kept to a minimum, all-natural, designed for longevity, and sustainably harvested where possible. An ingenious, vaulted ‘cloud sky’ of woven rattan covers the majority of the ceiling, providing additional warmth and organic shape while enclosing the whole restaurant by lowering the room-scale and warming the lighting. Rattan is one of the fastest renewable tropical woods available and is manufactured in low-tech non-polluting facilities.

Within Glorietta, beauty and sustainability collide with the salvaging and application of materials. Reclaimed hardwoods feature as bar cladding, with old stone slabs salvaged by the builder used as kitchen surround flooring. In a final, decorative flourish, a round Art Deco-inspired family table with sentimental value was inserted as a corner feature. In an innovative sense, Glorietta’s story is a social one that highlights the effectiveness of combining clever interior design practices within a venue’s surrounding context.

Alexander & CO

Anson Smart

The post Glorietta was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.