The design story began with the concept of creating a quintessential Hotel Bar experience where travellers and locals alike feel at home in any city. There is an energy and excitement in boutique hotels that, if executed well, feels as well as an inclusive hub for outsiders. The property is located in the Brickell Centre area, a cosmopolitan destination home to many of Miami’s trendy and hip residents.
The city of Miami has that indefinable essence that Bigtime Design Studios strived to capture for both local and out-of-town guests alike. Though the space in square footage is small, the soaring ceiling was the singular raw attribute that became the overscale feature. This provided not just visual energy, but a scale that helped create a much more intimate experience while keeping the soaring ceilings intact and somewhat of a mystery. To punctuate that energy, a sinewy largely over scaled ceiling feature was designed, not just a dramatic feature but also one that gave the team the opportunity to hide the mechanical systems and lighting which was achieved by keeping the sculptural ceiling plane unbroken. That, along with a subtle mirror at the apex of the ceiling sculpture as it winds down at the back bar, pushes the experience far beyond the limitations of the space.
Here the designs honours what was, what is and what will be. It’s the little corner spot, the juke joints, the nod to a secret society where speakeasies held court celebrating its creativity, it’s good humour, and its eccentricities. In every detail guests see a kind of modern sophistication that is neither overly stuffy nor frivolously ornate, leaving an impression to last long beyond their Moscow Mule. With an interior that speaks the easy speak, warm over scale elements of wood, button tuft upholstery and a soaring ceiling at 20’ undulates in a decidedly sinewy gesture.
