Glamorous: World's Top Bars and Clubs

Author: (English) Bertan Reid
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: The introduction to the book "Bar and Club Design" traces the history of bars and clubs as venues for people's nighttime gatherings, revealing how they evolved from small inns or lodgings for travelers centuries ago into the design targets of architects in the late 20th century. The introduction states, "A book on bar and club design would have been impossible 20 years ago because there weren’t enough bars and clubs to warrant special attention. By 2001, in developed countries, every city had numerous genuine bars and clubs, with their numbers exceeding demand." Four years later, operators, architects, and designers continued to invest in design to create nightlife paradises, and this trend is still rapidly growing. In an era that emphasizes lifestyle, bars and clubs have become places for the idle to display their identity in public. Bars and clubs are no longer just resting stations; they have become venues for entertainment, display, and expression. Bars and clubs are places that encourage self-expression, urging them to shed mediocrity and enter an exciting new realm. Who knows what the night holds in store for us? Like "Bar and Club Design," this book showcases design works from around the world, some for their beauty, some for their uniqueness, some for their eccentricity, and some for their innovation. These bars and clubs feature stylish and meticulously designed environments, not just places for drinking and dancing. As mentioned earlier, the lifespan of bars and clubs is often shorter than that of other commercial leisure venues, making them more susceptible to the influence of fashion trends and bold design experiments in materials and themes. The works listed in this book were all completed when "Bar and Club Design" was published. On the whole, they represent the hedonistic design style of early 2000s-style bars and clubs. This book is divided into four chapters: Bars, Restaurant Bars, Hotel Bars, and Clubs. This classification is not absolute but serves as a practical reference for architects and designers studying a particular type of bar. In reality, over the past four years, the boundaries between different types of bars have become increasingly blurred. Restaurant bars and hotel bars often transform into clubs (with DJs and dance floors) late at night, while many clubs also have clearly defined dining areas. We have placed each selected work in the chapter that best describes its primary function.