The existing space, once an underutilized brewing area for the restaurant above, presented a unique design challenge: how to seamlessly integrate a private entrance while preserving the existing floorplate. The solution lay in repurposing an adjacent service corridor as the primary point of entry, transforming a logistical necessity into a design opportunity. Central to the concept was the client’s vision—an evocative nod to the venue’s name, Blue Rock Swim Club, conjuring the allure of an abandoned underground bathhouse overtaken by a bar.
Drawing inspiration from legendary establishments like House TO, the design team embraced a bold, brutalist approach, carving a dramatic pool cutout into the foundation. This architectural intervention, punctuated by ghostly vestiges of basins, tubs, and tiered platforms, reimagines the sunken living room as an immersive, tactile experience. From the moment guests step inside, they are enveloped in an atmosphere of seductive intrigue—an illusion of wading through dimly lit waters, where waxed stainless steel surfaces and carefully curated lighting cast shimmering reflections, mimicking the ambient glow of an intimate pool.
The brutalist framework establishes a striking backdrop, further enriched by bespoke paneling that mirrors hand-burnt and wire-brushed wood planks. This interplay of raw materiality and refined detailing extends throughout, with under-lighting and mirrored surfaces designed to heighten sensory engagement while maintaining a sense of restraint.
Once this architectural foundation was set, the design evolved through layered materiality and considered finishes, drawing from the warmth of L.A. and Brazilian Modernism. As with all the studio’s local projects, the objective was to elevate the city’s cultural and culinary landscape, infusing it with a cosmopolitan edge inspired by global hubs. Handcrafted zellige tiles and sculpted terrazzo surfaces inject an organic richness, tempering the cool austerity of the modernist structure. Custom lighting—conceived and fabricated in-house—further refines the narrative, its charred wood-clad fixtures cascading down structural columns and subtly mirrored in the reflective ceiling.
The furnishings serve as a final layer of expression, an eclectic interplay of contemporary sophistication and understated romance. With the studio’s in-house procurement and art direction at the helm, the space is curated to feel both bespoke and storied. Tailored leather seating weaves a continuous thread through the design, juxtaposed with an assemblage of vintage and custom statement pieces. At the epitome of the bespoke procurement is the meticulously crafted barstools, designed in-house to seamlessly nest within the bar’s foot runner—marrying form and function in a choreography of effortless movement.
