«Backroom» bar
«Backroom» bar
«Backroom» bar
«Backroom» bar
«Backroom» bar
Moscow, Gruzinsky Val str., 11b3
Realized in: 2022
Square: 104 m²
Seating: 37
The secret music bar Backroom is a space woven from light and color. Our goal was to create an atmosphere of comfort and homely warmth in an endless emptiness. To do this, we used bright and textured materials such as marble, velour, glass, and wood, and combined cold blue and warm yellow light in the composition of the space, highlighting the accent VIP and art areas located on opposite sides of the hall with magenta light. Dark blue walls were chosen to smooth out the edges of the space and create the illusion of infinity.
The decor integrated into the walls, created according to our sketches, represents aquatic circles on the water, which further enhances the perception of infinity, enveloping and protecting you in this cozy ambient.
Moscow, Gruzinsky Val str., 11b3
Realized in: 2022
Square: 104 m²
Seating: 37
The secret music bar Backroom is a space woven from light and color. Our goal was to create an atmosphere of comfort and homely warmth in an endless emptiness. To do this, we used bright and textured materials such as marble, velour, glass, and wood, and combined cold blue and warm yellow light in the composition of the space, highlighting the accent VIP and art areas located on opposite sides of the hall with magenta light. Dark blue walls were chosen to smooth out the edges of the space and create the illusion of infinity.
The decor integrated into the walls, created according to our sketches, represents aquatic circles on the water, which further enhances the perception of infinity, enveloping and protecting you in this cozy ambient.
Project team
Kristina Esenina, Mikhail Esenin, Ekaterina Khoroshavina, Arman Kashkenov, Julia Afanasyeva
Photographer
Sergey Volokitin
Kristina Esenina, Mikhail Esenin, Ekaterina Khoroshavina, Arman Kashkenov, Julia Afanasyeva
Photographer
Sergey Volokitin
We were expected to make an interior design for a secret, invitations-only bar. The place is above the True Cost space, which is some sort of a feature: the restaurant space accessible to all serves as a passway to a secret bar nearby that can be accessed only if you have an invitation and know where to go. It was important to make the interior design eye-catching and bar-style but also minimalistic. The founders wished to create a warm, chamber-like atmosphere whilst also having a stylish and modern interior.
The place is on the third floor under a sloping roof, and has a small area. One of the challenges consisted in effective space arrangement and planning that would enable to place a bar, a DJ booth, a VIP area and a spacious common seating space in the dining room, as well as to offer the bar guests a relaxing and comfortable experience. Also, it was essential to keep the pre-existing decor elements (rails on the wall behind the couch at the bar) and the floor covering (tiles). Another complication was the air ventilation system that had to be visually adapted for use in this space.
The main idea was to create a trendy and welcoming setting full of color and stunning decorations. Create a play of colored light. Our idea was to design a space with blurred boundaries by using lighting and color solutions, and to fill it with cozy furniture, low-key lighting and visual effects.
In order to highlight the idea of secrecy, we decided not to place an outdoor signboard to identify the bar location. The bar is “hidden” behind a metal door – only here there is a small sign as if a street artist made a casual drawing on the wall, a kind of graffiti. Access to the bar is only for members of the club with each guest identified through a small window in the door. This all helps maintain the atmosphere of secrecy and exclusivity, just as the dark shades we have chosen for the interior design of the space, though we didn’t use a totally black color palette: blue-purple walls and the purple ceiling that looks like a starry sky.
A DJ booth is seen right from the entrance. Made of translucent concrete, the booth has dynamic backlighting that creates different lighting moods. The booth also serves as an element of space zoning and defines the VIP seating area.
In the VIP seating space, we have put a LED screen that creates a color mood – the space becomes dynamic as it constantly changes in color. This is a very simple but effective solution, and that’s just what was needed here. When the VIP area is not curtained off, the screen lights up the entire space and serves as a bright background for the DJ booth, complementing the club atmosphere perfectly.
We have placed sofas against the walls to leave the center of the room as open as possible. The easy chairs are upholstered with velveteen which teams perfectly with low marble tabletops. This combination looks both luxurious and stylish. One of the important elements of the interior design is a wall-mounted gypsum decoration – it was custom-designed and printed based on our sketches. The decoration, integrated into the wall, shows diverging sound waves, sound vibrations, which is also an eye-catcher tempting guests to pause their eyes on this element, arousing their interest and inviting them to come, touch and have a closer look at what is depicted over there. The central idea of such a solution is to create a space without borders: the walls in the bar are like water surface with gentle ripples that visually erase the boundaries. The space therefore expands to infinity, and the walls turn into a portal to the unknown and farther where an abyss may lie, whilst also serving as a decor. The tables placed in front of the sofas and armchairs are made of double glass, thus producing the effect of an infinity mirror. Inside the glass is a lighted sign VSEM PIT’ ZDES’ — one more recognizable and eye-catching element which has won the hearts of our guests. They enjoy taking pictures of it and posting them on social media.
We have placed a contact wooden bar counter in the dining area. The counter was intended to produce a striking effect and stand out in the dark, but it was critical to avoid unnecessary brightness. For the backlights to be gentle, the front panel was divided into multiple segments. The light coming from the spaces between those segments illuminates the counter producing the effect of inner glow and giving the impression that the counter is just about to burst into dance. Behind the counter are shelves with bottles of alcohol with part of them standing on the descending shelves as we had to take advantage of the sloping roof to broaden the bar.
On the wall near the entrance, there is an artwork inspired by the works of the Recycle Group team. This is a half-light screen with an image on it. Cellular polycarbonate resembling honeycombs is installed in front of the artwork. If you stand in the center and look at the artwork, you can see the entire picture. But one step aside – and part of the art disappears from the guest’s sight. The solution allows to create a surprise effect when the artwork opens up to the guest piece by piece.
The WCs are faced with gray tiles, but a combination of two backlights – warm yellow and cold blue – provides color mixing, giving rise to new shades: pink, green, etc. When inside, guests can see themselves in a “stylish” light, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, they can look in the mirror to tidy their hair or refresh their makeup. The entrance to the WC is curtained off for the bright light from within not to leak into the main dining room and not to disturb the atmosphere. As the bar is open at night-time, all the windows have roller shades to prevent the flow of outdoor light into the space.
Detailed description
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