1. 2 in the Mix Magazine
Designing BARS Forward
Way back in the ‘70s, at the dawning of the bar scene, single women
were showing up in celebration of their independence. Harvey Wallbangers,
Grasshoppers, Mudslides and wine spritzers were the drinks of choice.
Overstuffed furniture, faux Tiffany lamps, brass railings and lots of
hanging plants provided the backdrop, while skylights and
domed glass ceilings delivered sunlight for happy plants and
happy people. The “fern- bar” was recognized
as the design that launched a thousand
T.G.I. Friday’s. This design style fit
those happier days when life
in general was more light-hearted.
Ecology was at the birth of a movement that would
blossom in the decades that followed and have an important
impact on design in relationship to sustainability and authenticity.
Concepts such as re-purposed, recycled, re-used and refurbished
would influence interiors and exteriors of homes, offices and on-
premise environments.
Then along came the 21st century.
Technology catapulted our world into
another stratosphere and accelerated some
of the trends from the earlier decades in
notable ways. The cocktail culture reached
front and center after taking a back seat
to yesterday’s wine and beer-centric
nation pushing boundaries into today,
where cocktails look like nothing before.
Foams and ice spheres, herbs, bacon and
produce as ingredients, barrel-aging and
infusions, all this and more being used to
craft cocktails. At the execution end of
mixology, equipment and bar tool design
is now both leading and following this
cocktail movement. Complementing and
accommodating creativity and technology
along with the cultural shifts in attitude
and behavior, so too bar design is evolving.
One of the more interesting
cultural accelerations that is perhaps
mostaffectingbardesigntodayhasbeen
the shift to “place matters.” “Where do
you live” replaced “what do you do” as
the most asked question among young
adults. Rather than moving up and
out, 20- and 30-somethings want to
put down roots, connect to family and
embrace local culture. The revival of
downtowns as centers for creativity,
housing and commerce, along with the
collapse of cultural majorities, led to the
rebirth of cities as desirable places to
live. These urban international melting
pots have spawned great multi-cultural
places to hang out.
Informality, another cultural
identity marker of the 2000s, ushered
by Christine Heller

2. 3Summer 2014 • itmmag.com
in billionaires who wore jeans to work and CEOs
who preferred to be called by their first name.
Casualization is impacting on-premise to the degree
that makes even fine dining operators re-think their
decors. Smart phone cameras equal ubiquitous
selfies and critics on a whim. What I am eating, what
I am drinking, where I am hanging out, what I think
about any of it, is posted all over social media sites.
Counterpoint to this obsession with self-
importance (we are all celebutantes) is, thankfully, a
growing sense of social responsibility, sustainability,
farm-to-table cuisine and demand for the locally
distilled and brewed beverage. These cultural
changes have made a significant difference in the
variety of choices we now have when choosing
where to drink and dine. This rapidly forward-
moving techie world where society has never been
this culturally, religiously or politically diverse, is
having a definite effect on the interior and exterior
spaces where people live, work and play. Staying
relevant and appealing to the senses and sensibilities
of this time require an important harmony of
purpose and design in furnishings, lighting, layout
and atmosphere.
Tobin Ellis, principal at BarMagic of
Las Vegas and a maverick in his own right, talks
about keeping bar design focused forward and the
subculture of the bar design world that is driving
unprecedented innovation, staying a step ahead of
the mainstream. A 2013 Consumer Reports article
about on-premise establishments ranked aesthetics
as the number one reason a person chooses a
specific restaurant or bar. Ambiance matters and
authenticity matters. Ellis, who has been designing,

3. 4 in the Mix Magazine
building and opening bars around the world for
17 years, talks about the most in-demand design
happening “inside out,” with operationally-minded
people who have no formal design background
getting involved, because they cannot find places
that sensibly blend design and function. He refers
to these innovators as “tastemakers.” They are
entrepreneurs at all positions in hospitality, such
as bartenders, consultants (myself included),
managers and small, independent operators, who
want to work in an environment that works. These
tastemakers are also looking for a place where they
want to hang out. All of these manager/owner/
operators are working bartenders, which explains
their knack for designing bars that put function on
equal footing with form. Ellis has built his company
and global reputation on this same approach, where
the end user is involved in the design phase.
Ellis mentioned that some of the design
styles people are buzzing about right now are
vintage revisited from the ‘20s and ‘30s, reclaimed
eclectic shabby chic, refined rustic and modern
industrial aka industrial chic (raw natural finishes of
concrete, metal, wood and glass from deconstructed
buildings). Because they appeal to the culture of
comfort, informality and connection to familial
roots and local uniqueness, these are casual spaces
where nothing is pretentious. Localized “thrifting
and picking” is fun and it is also gratifying to find
decor items and finishing materials that can be re-
purposed. Local and authentic elements in design,
says Cat Stramer, managing director of SlateBlue
Design, are incorporated into every project. One of
Cat’s recent projects, Simpli Bar & Bites (above),
caters to local commuters. Functioning as a coffee
shop by day and a bar by night in a tiny space
took intelligent planning. Adding an outdoor patio
provided a breath of fresh air to urbanites who
desire an escape into nature to be warmed by the
sun or mesmerized by the moon and stars.
Jennifer Reynolds, principal, Ideation
Design Group, conducts in-depth site visits for local
market inspiration before drawing a bar design plan
for a remodel or entirely new project. Recycled,

4. 5Summer 2014 • itmmag.com
reused, reclaimed, refurbished, re-purposed materials
suchasoldbarnplanksordiscardedwindowsanddoors
are good resources for Cat, who is passionate about
the sustainability of spaces and places. She believes
that it is our social responsibility to recycle and it also
helps to keep costs down. Ellis speaks about bar design
all over North America and talks about sustainability
in design demonstrating social conscience as well as
preservation of history. In his words, refurbishing
materials gives them a second life. “Beware,” says Ellis,
“of the regulations, however, and make sure those old
pieces have been adapted to today’s standards, such as
being fire retardant.”
Designing on-premise environments is in a
“cool phase of unprecedented functional but beautiful
design” says Ellis. Design is a big deal because it
tells the story of your unique place. He spoke about
an elevated showcase bartender bar set behind the
main bar that his company designed for a client in
the shape of a semicircle, placing all of the attention
on the bartender as he builds his drinks for the other
bartenders on busy nights. This reminded me of the
chefs’ tables and open kitchens where the chef is
entertainment. Bar-chef bar! Cool.
Un-sexy (everyone wants to be a
designer) but all-important considerations that
both professional and maverick designers must
take into account when planning the next great
bar are lighting, layout and workspace. Lighting
is crucial says Reynolds, stating, “You can’t light
air; you light surfaces. Lighting is theatre.” She
goes on to say, “One of the best design elements
behind the bar is the bottles themselves, but if
the lighting is wrong, as in backlit, it just doesn’t
work.” Lighting sets a mood yet it also needs to
be functional behind the bar for the bartender.
Color, which for branded bars is an attribute, can
be artfully handled through lighting. One of the
projects I managed made excellent use of lighting
as a primary decor element and brand marker. If
youfindyourselftravelingthroughJFKTerminal
3, check out The Sapphire Lounge. Notice how
subtle lighting of glass and Lucite surfaces is
used to impart the trademark blue jewel tones of

5. 6 in the Mix Magazine
equipment. Most importantly, she thinks about the
number of steps a bartender must take to make and
serve the guests. Ellis is manic about bartenders
being able to have all of their tools and products
close. He calls it the “two-step rule.” The impact
wasted movement has on revenue would shock
most operators. If your bartenders have to move
more than two steps to make or even get a third of
the product mix, tens of thousands and potentially
hundreds of thousands of dollars are being poured
down the drain. During our interview, Ellis coined
a new phrase, “belly principle.” He described
the scenario as the clock starts ticking (for the
bartender) as soon as a person bellies up to the
bar. People expect to be served the moment their
belly touches the bar. If the bartender has to travel
the length of the long, circular or other shaped
bar to gather all the ingredients and tools before
making a cocktail, then he is already behind in
serving that guest. Now imagine two and three
deep at the bar. Designing smarter bar stations and
overall equipment schematics will greatly reduce
bartenders’ wasted movement and will elevate the
the iconic brand’s bottle. SlateBlue Design has worked
extensively with hospitality brands and Cat spoke
about the importance of infusing each brand’s unique
attributes such as logo, colors and trademarks into
every aspect of the decor and collateral merchandising
materials. “The back bar is a great opportunity for
brand focus,” said Cat. “Branding opportunities can
also be found at the entrance, hostess station, menus,
and glassware. Don’t forget to infuse brand personality
when selecting furniture, lighting fixtures, flooring and
wall treatments.”
Regarding layout, Reynolds suggests if your
long bar is against the wall, use mirrors above the back
bar and try to add a pop-out bar top section. Gentle
curving of a long bar works well too. Placing the bar in
the most visible area of the space is important. It should
be seen from the entrance. She prefers circular and
u-shaped bars to facilitate easier social interactions. Cat
says people want to hang out where “everyone knows
their name” and a poor layout can hinder socializing,
which is high on the list of reasons we all go to a bar.
When designing the layout, Reynolds considers
where the electrical outlets will be placed and for what

6. 7Summer 2014 • itmmag.com
guest experience.
This brings us to the bartender workspace. A
pet peeve for each of the designers I spoke with,
myself included, is as Reynolds describes it, “all about
sightlines.” Your guests don’t want to see a wet dirty
floor, less than perfectly clean ice bins, or the all-too-
often messy prep areas. Back bars full of glassware,
tip jars, bar towels, purses and the myriad of items we
see from our stool are void of clean lines and detract
from the colorful bottles and overall aesthetics. How
about the dishwasher that pumps out steam, which
melts your make-up if you are sitting on the wrong
barstool? Bar tops should not have to be used for
prepping nor back bars filled with stuff for lack of
proper storage.
Breakthrough technology and creativity pushing
cocktail boundaries today are influencing bar
design. What would have been
inconceivable in decades past
is bringing the “wow” factor
to consumers with creative
cocktails that have unique tastes
and textures. This has created
different thinking about the
bartender’s domain, according
to Ellis. Bar equipment that
meets the needs of the time is in
its infancy.
“What we have is antiquated
and does not work behind
the bar today,” he says. The
current mainstream beverage
dispensing equipment is not
designed for the massive shift
in our industry that is focused
on the craft cocktail movement.
Ellis is a nonconformist
pushing hard and fast for NSF
approvals on designs for bar
equipment that speak to the
trends and needs of today’s
hospitality industry.
“Every bartender wants a bar station designed
like a cockpit with everything they need within
arm’s reach, or maybe one to two steps,” says Ellis,
himself a five-time national mixology champion
and former bartender for 24 years. They want
refrigerated drawers for their mise en place, freezer
drawers for their ice programs, and ergonomically
designed ice bins and drain boards that put them
closer to the guest. Ellis is currently working with
a major equipment manufacturer on a new line of
custom stainless equipment designed by a bartender,
for bartenders. “We’re just starting to look at the
prototypes, and they are pretty exciting. We have
tried to address most of the things on bartenders’
wish lists.” In the meantime, Ellis works with clients
designing custom equipment and also re-purposing
existing equipment to meet the demands of today’s
hospitality industry. “Everybody knows you don’t
buy a pizza oven to run a steakhouse and yet that’s
exactly what most operators do when it comes to
bar design – they just buy the same old generic
equipment that cannot possibly produce the volume
and quality of product their beverage program is
geared towards.” These operators, from major hotels
and resorts to independent operators, call on Ellis’s
expertise to help redesign their bars to find that
balance between profitability and aesthetics. “You
absolutely can build gorgeous bars that have highly
efficient workstations; you just need someone who
knows how do to it.” His company, BarMagic of
Las Vegas, has been “doing it” for the last 17 years
and has racked up a slew of awards in the process.
Note to yourself: Next time I build or refurbish my bar I
will make sure to consider function and design from the
customer’s perspective and the bartender’s point-of-view,
and I will leave the details to a professional.
Contact Christine Soviero Heller at:
(christineheller.321@gmail.com).
Tobin Ellis