DESIGN
for the Times How Décor, Lighting and Layout Define a Night- club’s Ambiance and Success and What’s Hot Now
Design trends fluctuate quickly — one day your aesthetic is cutting-edge and the next it’s old-fashioned — so it’s
important to keep up with trends and update your
nightlife space before things become outdated.
Nightclub & Bar talked with some of the most
influential designers in the industry, each of whom
has a finger firmly on the pulse of what’s hot at the
moment and what’s on the horizon.
Nightclub & Bar (NCB): What are
the biggest trends in nightclub
design right now?
Brad Belletto: [Club owners]
are looking for a more intimate atmosphere. The clubs we’re working on have a common area and
have pockets where we create a
lounge atmosphere where people
can have a conversation.
Charles Senkler: The trend
really should be planning a club
around the guest and their spontaneous interaction with other
guests — always consider the
human factor — and toward free-standing bar fixtures, casual seating arrangements at bar height.
Also, more thought regarding
ceiling heights, lighting fixture
organization and acoustics.
Steve Lewis: In New York, I’m
seeing venues getting smaller and
more specialized. Clubs are being
fine-tuned in Vegas, then returning
to New York refined and better.
Jack Kennedy: I see the rise of
the lounge, with increased emphasis on comfortable furniture,
seducing guests with custom
cocktails and beautiful architecture. Privacy and anonymity are
desired. The dark space necessary to seduce the hesitant onto
the dance floor is returning, and
more venues are turning off their
TVs and projectors and investing
in beam effects. Both clubs and
restaurants are answering the
multimedia visual bombardment
by focusing on person-to-person
interaction.
NCB: So, small and intimate is
in. What else?
Belletto: Another trend I’m
seeing is small-plate food items.
Owners want the customer to stay
there at the end of the night and
not run to In-N-Out Burger to get
something to eat; it’s a restaurant/
club atmosphere.
We spoke to four design consultants:
Brad Belletto, Chief Executive Officer, Vision 360, Dallas
Jack Kennedy, Entertainment Technology Designer, Eye Dialogue, Charlotte, N.C.
Steve Lewis, Principal, Lewis & Dizon, New York City
Charles Senkler, Design and Concept Development Consultant, Minneapolis
