RED by Lapis Bureau is located in the heart of Shenzhen’s nightlife, in Coco Park Futian area, and is designed to be one of the most exclusive and unexpected realities among the bars and clubs scene in post-pandemic Shenzhen.
Client: SHARK Group
Designer: Lapis Bureau
Photographer: ZCSTUDIO
In color psychology, Red represents positivity, initiative, passion and enthusiasm, hence the willingness to interact with people.
In the most prosperous and bustling bar street of Coco Park in Futian, Shenzhen, a zig-zagging set of flashing red neon lights pops up at night. It is the signal that the carnival is ready to start.
From the outside, a series of upholstered red-leather doors with a circular window geared with an infinity mirror is mesmerizing the passers-by; only one of them is a real door to access the exclusive club, if left open from the inside. In the narrow entrance foyer, the first impression is a sense of dark mystery. An oversize gold mask used as a reception, next to the mirrored wall surface, gets reflected recreating its complete full shape. Combined with the red light strips on the floor, the hotel-style key holder background, and the lowered arch-shaped ceiling, treated with Venetian plastered-paint, people are already full of anticipation and wondering in what kind of environment they are stepping in, and what will happen next.
A first glimpse to the bar occurs from the foyer through a red acrylic panel with 3D bumps extrusions that distorts the view while enhancing the lights effect. The bar counter occupies the full length of the bar and extends in a gentle curve, enlarging itself on the two ending edges hosting dancing poles, and on the central section where a swing is hanging from the ceiling. The bar top is unconventionally realized with stone slates, providing a bump texture to the surface hence grip for the dancers, while the vertical surface is cladded with bush-hammered galvanized red metal panels adapting to the curved shape of the bar.
The backdrop of the bar is characterized by a baroque-inspired pattern wallpaper, where two large shelves covered in red velvet are cantilevering from the wall, to eventually host dressed-up performers. The ceiling is made of patterned extruded gypsum sound-proof tiles that alternates with some bush-hammered metal plates cut in large circles that function as a back-lit lamp, as well as reflecting the environmental disco lights across the bar in a kaleidoscopic manner.
Opposite of the bar, a raised floor treated with handmade ceramic tiles is hosting the sofa corners for private tables, separated by balustrades made of red glass and brass edges, while the center of the space is left for passage, partly dance floor, and few tall tables. Despite the initial narrow condition of the site, the mirrors along the full length of the side wall are duplicating the visual perception of the space.
The partition at the end, opposite of the entrance, is a red plastered wall with brass-edged arches of different width and heights, for a sofa niche, the dj booth, the vj controller, and the passage for the staff to access the bar and eventually the exit passage. A set of alternating red and black velvet curtains allow different configurations and visual perceptions of the space.
To exit the bar, guests shall that the backstage area behind a black velvet curtain, through a small foyer where all surfaces and fixtures are left raw painted black and a single chandelier with red bulbs is subtly illuminating the black emergency door the takes you out in the street through an anonymous black painted wall, purposely treated in a very different way from the main red facade, to make it look as it is not belonging to the Red club.
In the choice of space materials, the main focus is on corrugated metals and acrylic, marble stone, wallpaper and other eye-catching materials. Starting from the uniqueness of each material, the perfect combinations of them make the space grasping that wow effect. Red is the prevailing theme and color distinguishing the decorated ceiling, the velvet drapes, the baroque wallpaper, the upholstered doors and the capitonné furniture, all enhanced by different sets of red and warm lights.
The oversized golden mask-shaped reception, infinity mirrors, mesmerizing lights and mirror tricks, dance poles and swings hosting amazing dancers and performers, are only few of the ingredients that astonish you in such environment.
“We wanted to play with the contrast between classical shapes and patterns of baroque inspiration, against bold materials and lights effects that have a more futuristic and cyber-punk identity. The palette of red colors is literally the fil-rouge of the project, making the contrast harmonious” says the duo of Italian architects based in Shenzhen.
