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DESIGN
Dining Design
Visitors to
AVHospitality’sbohemian rhapsodyof aLos
Angelesnightclubmayneed todoadouble take:Oneside is
allmedievalmadnesswhile theothergoescompletely for
baroque. “It’s literally17th-centurybaroquemeets20th-
centuryHollywood; it’sdark, sexy, but all the theatrical
elementskeep it interesting,” saysToshBerman,who, along
withdesignerDavisKrumins, helped turn thehistoric1918
Hollywooddivebar into thecenterof L.A. cool thispast
summer. Itsdecor includesheavydrapes,Russiancrystal
chandeliers, and tufted leatherbanquettesandwalls
adornedwithRenaissance-inspiredportraitsofmen in ruff-
collaredshirts that ever-so-slowlymove togazeabout their
inexplicablesurroundings. “We took60-inchLCD frames
andflipped themvertically (likehangingportraits) and
thenbuilt inacomputer system tocreatemovingartwork,”
offersBerman,whosays there isnothingworse thanbeing
theonlyone inanightclubwhen itopensat 10p.m. “Iwanted
toengage theclient inadifferentway, sowhether it’sempty
orpacked there issomething to lookat, or, in thiscase,
something lookingat them,”hesays.
Although the food, drink, andcamaraderiemaystill be
theprimary reasons forventuringoutatnight, thesedays
hospitalitydesignersandarchitectsaremaking itmore
about thevisual, andsensory, experienceyouhavewhile
you’re inside. “There isa ‘wow’ factor thatneeds tohappen
withoutbeing tooLasVegas, not that there isanything
wrongwithLasVegas,”saysMiami-baseddesignerSam
Robin,who recentlycompletedBianca, thenewsignature
restaurantat theMorgansHotelGroup’sDelano inSouth
Beach. “I’mnot sobigon themeyor trendy [designs]because
theycanquicklydatea room,”shesays.
Design tricksand thrillscanalsobehighpoweredand
supercharged, likeat 1OAK, thenewMirageResortand
Casinobar inLasVegasdesignedbyAlessandroMunge
(ofToronto-basedMungeLeung)andmanagedbyNevada-
basedTheLightGroup.Munge reachedout toartistRoy
Nachum tocreateaseriesof esotericmuralson thenight-
club’swallssurroundingoverscaled leatherbanquetteseat-
ingmoresynonymouswithaprivate747aircraft thanaLas
Vegas lounge.Only in thiscaseyou’re responsible foryour
own takeoffsand landings.
Makingaspectacleoutofarestaurantornightclub is
noeasy task; justaskdesignerDavidRockwell,whoeven
wroteabookon thesubject (
Spectacle
) in2006.Since then the
NewYork-basedarchitect’spassion for theaterhas informed
A view of Hong Kong from OZONE
A series of esotericmurals at 1 OAK
fALL 2012
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