Project Team
Interior Design: MAKE
AV: DJW Projects
Set in the heart of colourful Potts Point, SOHO has been a Sydney institution for over 20 years. A multi-million dollar fit-out has recently transformed this bastion of cool into a two level super-club. SOHO features four bars spread over two sprawling levels and several different areas. The Avery features stunning harbour views and a bird-themed décor, the intimate Gold room is … well, gold and the Lounge features a markedly 1960’s flavour.
However it is SOHO’s ground floor Club level that sends the senses into spin. Multi-faceted, three-dimension wall and ceiling surfaces reflect light, colour and movement, providing an exciting, surreal and all encompassing backdrop to the nightclub.
The Avery on the first floor transports patrons to a playful, frivolous stage set, a wonderland where any character can come to life. Cardboard cutout, caricature like trees and creatures combine to provide a captivating, enhances space layered with colour, unexpected objects and quirky furniture.
Interior designers MAKE were responsible for this colour makeover under directions from the client who expressly wanted to address the acoustic problems within the venue and to layer the new club with its own unique personality – one that would distinguish it from other Kings Cross and Sydney venues.
Inspired by crystalline forms, MAKE masterminded the Club to integrate design, lighting and sound to create a total sensory experience, extending the
environment. MAKE developed a three dimension surface treatment, or skin, to envelope the walls and ceilings, spreading across the club to form an endless series of reflective triangular forms. These surreal forms are mesmerizing as the space is constantly transformed through colour to reflect a different mood. Constructed of perforated and folded sheet steel, the distinctive surfaces were custom designed by MAKE to provide a multi faceted and fragmented backdrop upon which hundreds of coloured LEDs are projected.
The lighting can be programmed with endless possibilities; colour themes can be exploited to create the mood – to heat it up or cool it down. The transition through colours can be intensified as the night continues, on parallel the energy within the club, essentially creating a constantly evolving light show.
The key to MAKE’s approach was to balance the geometric, haphazard and reflective shapes with a long, dark and pared back seating areas, providing a visual pause from the colour and movement around it.
In the Avery, a series of openings between the Level 1 dance floor and the lounge has dramatically improved flow and circulation around the floor. MAKE rejuvenated the dance floor and bar area, incorporating the whimsical theme and softening the lighting with a series of oversized bulbs forming a glowing tongue in cheek chandelier over the bottle display.