Gold standard design.
After moving into her new home, Gunjan Sharma approached Clarke Infinity to design and install an opulent bar room. The bespoke bar was to feature ambient lighting, immersive sound and state-of-the-art automation to create the ultimate entertainment space at the touch of a button.
Project Details
Location
UK
Project Criteria
Bar Room
THE CHALLENGE
A classically inspired bar with a modern twist
At the heart of this home improvement project was a magnificent centrepiece in the property’s main entertainment space. Taking its inspiration from a classic period of history, Gunjan wanted to create a stunning 1920s Cigar and Whiskey Bar which also elegantly featured the latest in contemporary lighting and audio in order to wow guests whatever the occasion.
The room with it's tiled floor, plastered ceiling and a wall of mirror and stone bar, included a lot of acoustically reflective surfaces which created an echoey space and Clarke Infinity were to create a solution to combat this and deliver fantastic sound. The space posed some design challenges - the LED light box for the stone island was around 18mm and Clarke Infinity’s solutions for the bar needed to consider ventilation and light diffusion whilst still ensuring the stone was supported throughout.
As part of the AV design, the whole system was to be fully automated and controlled, allowing the client to create exactly the ambience and atmosphere of their choice at the touch of a button
We are thrilled with the finished look – it is everything we had hoped for. When we began this project, we had a very specific idea around what we wanted to achieve, and the Clarke Infinity team have been amazing in the way they have helped us at each step to make sure that our initial dream was turned into a beautiful reality.
Gunjan Sharma , Owner
THE SOLUTION
Handcrafted bespoke bar and superior sound design
Recognising that the 1920s-style Cigar and Whiskey Bar was the essential element of this design, Clarke Infinity commissioned artist and cabinet maker Matthew Nunn who the team have worked with on other projects, to handcraft a stunning bespoke design for the bar. Clarke’s Lead Designer accompanied the client to a stone warehouse to personally select the piece of stone used to top the bar and to test different backlighting effects.
To complement the look, the Clarke team sourced Italian Architettura Sonora Stone Cylinder speakers in a table format with dimmable lighting incorporated into the base, while arranging for custom tabletops to be made from the same Patagonia Stone.
To treat the very hard acoustics of the room, Clarke Infinity installed stretched fabric walls with acoustic absorbing foam. A picture rail is hidden behind the fabric and a pattress added to all wall outlets to create a flush finish with the fabric maintaining the visual aesthetic and delivering enviable sound.
THE SOLUTION
Fully designed and high quality automated lighting
The full lighting design included the installation of a coffer for dramatic effect within the ceiling, which was Venetian painted with real bronze and fitted with subtle LED lighting. Inside the cabinetry, Orluna and Lumino light fittings add soft light from hidden recesses. The lighting uses 98 CRI 2700K LEDs to ensure a consistent warmth and quality of light throughout. All the lighting is integrated into the joinery and when each cupboard is opened lighting elegantly illuminates the cupboard.
Clarke also installed Control4 as the automation system and created custom-engraved buttons made for the Venetian bronze keypad. When a person enters the room, the back-lit Patagonia Bar Top and Back Bar instantly light up at their lowest level, giving a soft glow to the room. When presence is no longer detected, the light softly fades off.
From the keypad, an Entertain Lighting Scene button brings all lights on to a comfortably high level and plays a favourite playlist on the Architettura Sonora speakers immediately at the touch of the keypad, the settings of which can be arranged to the client’s personalised preference.