Suspended in Time, the Creative Invention and Futurist Romance of Peridot Hong Kong by Studio Paolo Ferrari
"In all of us, there's a tension between the yearning for the past, which brings us comfort, and the excitement, energy, and awe sparked by the new," says Paolo Ferrari. "Timeless Futurism is the paradox of tomorrow." This conceptual duality, rooted in memory, yet propelled by imagination, is the foundation of the new Peridot Bar, the latest project by Studio Paolo Ferrari. Located on Level 38 of The Henderson, the sculptural tower in Hong Kong by Zaha Hadid Architects, Ferrari's latest work presents an intimate, cinematic, and emotionally charged atmosphere.
Peridot is a study in focus and depth. Enveloped within the building's sinuous architectural shell, the bar is conceived as a spatial cocoon; walls and ceilings seamlessly merging in a continuous soft green, plastered surface, interrupted only by a matrix of softly glowing, steel-capped, frosted acrylic cylinders. These pixelated interventions not only reference Minimalist and Conceptual art, Carl Andre's AI Cloud and Yayoi Kusama's Self-Obliteration, but also serve as rhythmic anchors in a room defined by abstraction and movement. Daylight and nighttime city views shimmer across mirrored finishes, transforming the space into a vessel of temporal flux. "There's a sense of infinite expansion," notes Ferrari, "but it's deeply personal, abstract, yet strangely familiar.”
Ferrari's hallmark is not just form but feeling. At Peridot, this is expressed through a richly tactile and colour-driven palette: soft green walls, plush mohair seating, and high gloss custom-designed lacquered furnishing nestled into carved alcoves. "We wanted the space to embody the energy and dynamism of Hong Kong, a space rooted in the elegance of the past, but propelled by possibility," notes Ferrari.
Inspired by the intimacy and decadence of old-world smoking rooms, these spaces invite lingering, updated not with nostalgia, but a kind of romantic futurism. The Peridot Bar reimagines that tradition through a contemporary lens. “It's not about nostalgia but transformation. Familiar forms are abstracted, noble materials are reframed, and the result is a space that invites both reflection and projection. This is Timeless Futurism: memory in dialogue with courageous invention”.
Anchoring the space is a bar carved from green marble, an elemental, grounding contrast to the ethereal interior grid. Here, function meets theatre. The bar's monumental mass magnifies the gestures of the bartenders, led by visionary mixologist François Cavelier. Even the acoustics shift in this zone, heightening the experience, every pour, shake, and stir amplified in contrast to the hushed atmosphere of the surrounding lounge.
Hidden behind the main bar lies a secret: a private room with a bespoke stainless steel and marble bottle display. Each cantilevered holder is engineered, as much as it is sculpted, highlighting Ferrari's rigour in detail. It's a moment of revelation, a crescendo in the narrative. The entire space invites escape, not from reality, but into a heightened version of it.
Ultimately, Peridot isn't just a bar; it's an ingenious exercise to breathe new life into a typology that has seen little reinvention in years. Where many rely on nostalgia, Ferrari creates something cinematically immersive, materially sophisticated, and conceptually clear. Every surface, object, and transition contribute to a holistic story that suspends disbelief, while remaining entirely grounded in craft. A celebration of human connection and temporal ambiguity, Peridot proves that the future, especially in a city like Hong Kong, can feel both radically new and intimately familiar.
Team:
Architects: Studio Paolo Ferrari
Photographer: Virgile Simon Bertrand
