Barents | Cocktail and Seafood Bar

Design of the cocktail and seafood bar was developed simultaneously with the interior of Barents restaurant. It continues restaurants’ conceptual themes, at the same time, deliberately creating a space with entirely different functions and atmosphere.

The main inspiration behind the bar’s design is the bohemian feeling of 20th-century European grand cafés. The visual story is enhanced by the building's architecture, designer’s impressions from travels to Vienna and bar's vicinity to the key cultural venues in Riga.

As a reference to the restaurant's maritime motif, the bar is dressed in misty blue-green tones that remind of open sea waters. Selection of materials includes terrazzo finishes for furniture and floors, which echoes 20th century stylistics, as well as the ceilings with overhead lights and design icons, such as Thonet rattan chairs. One of the focal elements of the interior is a late space-age piece: restored Sputnik light fixture originally crafted in the early 1980’s by local metal artists at the Māksla factory. Inherited from the grand dining hall of Hotel Riga, it represents a later design period, but perfectly complements the bar's aesthetic.

The compact size of the space (only 38 m²) was both a challenge and a guideline for the KRASSKY design team. It influenced the interior decisions, such as the extensive usage of mirrors, polished surfaces that contrast with matted ones, and the glossy wall paint with high level of shine.

Each detail integrated into the small space was chosen to visually expand the area while keeping the sense of lightness. Contrasting both the intimacy and spaciousness of Barents restaurant, the bar is tailor-made for a pleasant bustle and bohemian sparkle, creating a never-ending vibe of life celebration and evoking a slightly nostalgic sense of past-day glamour.

Another nod to the previous century is the hand-drawn logos at the entrances to the bar and restaurant, created in an authentic way by an Estonian artist.

Most of the bar's furniture solutions were custom-made, it also features pieces from several design brands, such as Johanson bar stools, mirrors by Antique Mirror, and Antonio Lupi sink and mirror in the bar's intimate areas.