New York, second decade of the twentieth century. The sale of alcohol is prohibited and the so-called "speakeasy" or clandestine slums, bars behind closed doors, exclusive and where only a few have access. The imprint that these clandestine spaces left was such that since then all cities have their exclusive secret bar, and Malaga was not going to be less. In recent years, the offer of bars, restaurants, pubs and discos is booming, the center of Malaga capital, increasingly cosmopolitan, offers a great diversity of peculiar places. To this leisure offer is added a new business model, recently opened, located in the heart of Malaga's nightlife, a few steps from the popular Plaza de La Merced. The clueless passerby will run into a small fast-food stand 'take-away' where pastrami snacks are served, but if you open the bathroom door... everything changes.
The creative studio Paco Lago Interiorismo accepted the challenge of an unconventional project, designing thinking about a clandestine club concept involved a series of creative challenges, such as, for example, the one that involved the lighting of the entire premises: exclusive luminaires integrated into a custom-made coffered ceiling that can move rhythmically or remain fixed, or a roof of square boxes that curves until it merges with the back of the bar, in which each case is a lamp that changes color and intensity. As for vertical coverings, we chose economical, versatile and resistant materials to which all its aesthetic potential has been taken out: mirrors, vinyl coverings, lattices, metal curtains, stone or fabric. The lounge bar stands out for its marble counter behind which the illuminated retro niches that form the back of the bar shine.
Perhaps the key word to define Pastrami Club is 'surprise'. Surprise from the outside, through the pastrami sandwich bar, surprise with access to the club through the gentlemen's bathroom where everything is upside down, surprise to find the lounge and its unique play of lights or its exclusive bar Surprise yourself when you go beyond the red curtain and enjoy the exclusive pink room, or when you enter through the VIP access and think that you have entered hell.
Our project had an immediate impact, not only in the city where it has become a benchmark, reformulating the way in which to offer nightlife in the city, but also internationally, awarded the prestigious "If Design Award 2020" and with repercussion on multitude of publications (Project Contract, NEO2, Elle Decor, Il Corriere Della Sera, etc.) and nominations in some of the most important competitions in the sector such as the 'Frame Awards 2020'.
