The Bar, The InterContinental

The InterContinental, set in the lush Eastern bayside suburb of Sydney’s Double Bay, is one of the most famous hotels of Australia.

Hosts to Royalty from Buckingham Palace, and infamous musos of the rock’n’roll industry, The InterContinental, Double Bay, holds myriad secrets within, and stories to tell past, present and future.

SMLD was invited to undertake the lighting design for a refresh of the hotel’s interiors, and embarked on a wonderfully invigorating journey, collaborating with an amazing team of creatives to bring together the next phase of history for Intercontinental Double Bay.

We worked closely with clients, FridCorp , The InterContinental Hotel group, and the interiors team from Alfred, to produce a refreshed feel for the Lobby Bar & Breakfast lounge. We transformed the Lobby Bar, now named The Bar, and Breakfast lounge into theatrical back drop of warmth, light play, alluring textures for Maurice Terzini and his crew to unfold their hospitality magic.

The Breakfast lounge a design of restraint transforming the space into a sophisticated elegant venue, of grey tones, and soft low level lighting be means of indirect illumination.

The lighting design in The Bar enhanced and celebrated the theatrical direction of the new interior bringing attention to the red velvet curtains, creating light and shade in cosy corners, and framing the tables in light; evocative of lush cocktail and jazz bars of yonder.

For the adjustable ceiling mounted luminaires, used throughout The Bar, SMLD collaborated with a local manufacturer to create these spots that brought that theatrical allure to the space.

“I wanted to ensure the lighting design helped to create an atmosphere in The Bar to set the scene for theater.

Dramatic lighting was employed to enhance the rich red velvet, decadent marble, and highlight the tables, create cosy nooks, & bring sparkle to the glasses.

The outcome is a resplendent oasis from everyday life; a lush jewelry box for new journeys and a place where plenty of stories can unfold, ”  Siobhan McNabb

Designer: Alfred
Client: FridCorp & InterContinental
Photography: Sebastian Mrugalski

Lighting Suppliers: Euroluce // Est Lighting