FOCUS 47
FROM LATE-NIGHT LOUNGES to rooftop terraces, the bars and leisure sector remains one of the most expressive – and experimental – arenas in commercial design. In this special focus, we explore a series of standout projects that showcase how bold spatial thinking and atmosphere-led design can define not just a venue, but the whole visitor experience. Often, it’s here that the most daring ideas emerge; where designers push boundaries with colour,
materiality, lighting and narrative. Tese spaces are testing grounds for concepts that ripple out into residential, workplace and wider hospitality schemes too. Trough detailed case studies and conversations
with the creatives behind them, we unpack how these projects were conceived, challenged and realised. From immersive storytelling to smart planning, this is a sector that rewards bravery. When freedom meets function, the results can be extraordinary.
Interview Lee Roberts, Zebra Projects
Lee Roberts, creative director at Zebra Projects, explains how the studio approaches bar and leisure design – from early client dialogue to balancing guest experience with operational needs across diverse global contexts…
Zebra has delivered many high-impact and diverse leisure and bar spaces. What’s your design approach when starting a project in this sector? It has to start with the guest. We work closely with our clients to create an experience that is right for the guest profile, one that is unique, memorable and tailored to the offer. Te overall design needs to balance brand storytelling, sense of place, aesthetics and operational functionality. To create a design solution for an
extraordinary brand experience, the client’s vision is a very important place to start, followed by market research and insights. Typically, the research we undertake on the location or site feeds directly into the style and design of the project; in turn, this makes the solution speak directly to the space within which it resides.
Bar and leisure schemes demand both atmosphere and efficiency. How do you balance the guest experience with practical requirements like staff flow and service functionality?
It can be an evolving process during the design stages. We will progress through several phases of layout from test fit to schematic, which can also evolve during the concept
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