01
The Bar
Brushed brass wraps the bar from wall to ceiling in a waffle composition.
F&B, Corporate & Commercial
260 | La Casa del Tango
Location
Gate Avenue, DIFC, Dubai
Type
Bar, Restaurant & Tango School
Area
550 m²
Status
Completed 2021
Photography
Alex Jeffries / Rabih Rechdan
Recognition & press
Featured on Archello · Aug 2021Read the feature →
Featured on Love That Design · Nov 2021Read the feature →
The idea
Importing a culture, from Buenos Aires to DIFC.
The presentation opens with two maps, Argentina and the Emirates, under one title: importing culture. The brief was to bring the life of an Argentinian tango bar into a multicultural city, and to fit a restaurant, a bar, a tango school and a stage into 550 m². The model was the street bar in Argentina, where the doors stay open and people dance while others watch.
The bar is the centre of the room. Its shelving curves up into a lit vault of brass-lined cells, with tango posters set behind glass. Overhead, a deep teal coffered ceiling holds mirrored discs that catch the movement below. In the dining room, columns carry embossed scrollwork between timber strap screens. Oxblood leather banquettes, brass chandeliers, street lanterns and herringbone oak complete the setting.
The stage works as a live theatre that diners can watch by turning their chairs. Embossed sliding panels close it off for private classes. Facing the mall, a dark panelled front with lanterns and screens draws passers-by in.
Material palette
Brass & crystal
Chandeliers and fittings
Backlit bar wall
Arched brass shelving
Oxblood leather
Bar stools and banquettes
Teal
Walls and panelling
04
From the Mall
Interactive screens on the facade invite passers-by in.
About the project
Brass, leather and teal for an evening of tango
The visit starts at the bar, enclosed in brass from the walls up over the ceiling. From there the room opens into the dining area, where lanterns and chandeliers hang against teal walls and the stage sits within sight of the tables, with sliding panels to close it for classes. Close up, the details show the craft: stitched leather, patterned surfaces and worked brass. Back at the front, the facade faces the mall, and its screens catch the eye of people walking past.
Brass and crystal appear in the chandeliers and fittings, catching the light across the room. The bar wall is backlit behind arched brass shelving, so its glow becomes the focus of the space. Oxblood leather covers the bar stools and banquettes, a deep red that is warm to the touch. Teal runs across the walls and panelling, a dark, cool colour that sets off the brass. The venue is at Gate Avenue, DIFC, Dubai.
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