The clients brief called for a Brooklyn, New York theme Multi-use venue, including a bar, radio broadcasting lab, barbershop and food offering. The site was previously occupied by the radiobroadcaster, with an under-utilised bar adjacent and a couple of ramshackle work-spaces. The project recreates a street in the character-filled borough of NY, where multiple functions are woven into a coherent and unique space. The form and layout acknowledge the daily movements of life in Brooklyn, of commuting, climbing stairs, turning corners and eventually getting to your destination and sitting back with a view.

The materials reference the streets of New York, adjusting the vernacular style to suit a different context. Collaboration with Peculiar Familiar centred around the shopfronts and colour palettes, aiming to ensure that signage and graphics blending seamlessly with the interior design.

The projects first intent was that the offering and fit-out were seamlessly entwined, therefore it was essential to consider the direction of each offering and how they could tie in a Brooklyn feel. The Jewish Deli, Italian Barber and Loft-bar are all products of an extended conversation between the Clients, Interior & Graphic Designers. These different moments are references to the history of Brooklyn, the cultural diversity, the varied vernacular styles of shopfronts and the grittiness of Brooklyns streetscape.

BRKLYN is a unique example of multi-use programming, demonstrating a considered approach to a themed space. At the start of the project, Matiya Marovich (Sans-Arc) visited Brooklyn for a week to document the city through his eyes. Compositions, textures and proportions were captured on camera in a set of images that formed the base for the material palette and remained references throughout the project.

BRKLYN is innovative in its use of Interior Architecture and graphic design to create a seemingly authentic movement through Brooklyn. The physical movement through the space takes you through a non-descript entrance, past a subway stop and a random collection of shops. The design uses the phenomenological as well as the visual to trigger feelings of New York. This creates a depth of narrative, whereby every detail has been considered and the experience seems rich and different every time a customer returns.