Hospitality · Manhattan, New York · Concept Study
The Tuxedo Room
Panoramic cocktail bar on a high floor
Design Question
How does a bar choose between being hidden and being on show?
Site & Context
The Tuxedo Room is a modern, panoramic cocktail bar high in a Manhattan tower. It is made for guests who want the city from above and a cocktail experience that is stylish and contemporary, not nostalgic.
The original brief pointed to a hidden 1920s speakeasy behind an unmarked door. During design the direction turned fully the other way: a glass-fronted room high above the city around a 360-degree circular bar. Secrecy and spectacle are opposite ideas, so the speakeasy was dropped completely rather than blended. The bar itself went through several iterations before settling at ordinary height with far more detail.
Materials & Palette
Dark stone or marble on a round bar, a deep navy fluted front panel with fine brass strips, a central tower of bottles on a textured, lit column, a ceiling of many small bulbs hanging on thin cords, and a dark and cream checkerboard marble floor. Light is warm and low against the cold blue skyline, a deliberate contrast of warm and cool.
Design Intent
The Tuxedo Room was designed as a warm room above a cold city.
