Curious

About The Entry

Like something from a fairy-tale book for grown-ups, Curious Bar is one part quirky, one part avant-garde and one part chic.

A discrete entry point crafted from Corian forms a remarkable art piece that shows the wall ‘peeling back’ to reveal the inviting area beyond a set of descending stairs.

Once inside, visitors discover the room’s cocoon-like design, formed from timber beams in a parametric sequence. A mirror at the end of the tunnel duplicates the room and makes it appear never-ending.

The design palette, comprising rich, dark tones and earthy materials, is playful yet welcoming, with the space lit by subdued lighting that adds to the moody elegance.

To the left, plush banquet seating leads to a series of discrete booths and a DJ area. To the right is the feature bar that follows the curvature of the tunnel wall. The space flows effortlessly, while the back-of-house has been cleverly concealed to maximise workability and aesthetics.

Curious Bar is located underground at W Hotel Melbourne and is intended to attract passers-by as much as guests. In keeping with the W brand, it is engaging, bold and unique, deliberately choosing not to be safe.

Notably, Hachem was appointed to bring Curious Bar to life after building work had started at W Hotel Melbourne. The area where the bar is located was originally conceived as an office space until our intervention at the briefing stage.

This meant working with an unusual pre-existing half-moon shape that ultimately mandated the tunnel-like design response. We were able to weave in the overall hotel design concept by taking advantage of this quirky area to create a quintessential secluded Melbourne bar.

The venue looks like it naturally belongs; testimony to the high degree of creativity involved in adapting this space.