Gold Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2023
Flow Bar
by Bo Zhou
- A' Design Award 2023 Gold Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2023
- CLIENT: Jingle Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 26,108
- Verification code F564AD4347 · Verify this award
About Flow Bar
Flow is a bar interior located in Shengyang, China. The space measures 180 square meters and has a long and narrow structure. An intentionally slanted wall separates the interior from the street. A deep industrial ink color covers every surface, creating a quiet atmosphere. A line of narrow windows reconnects the inside with the outside. A large artwork of rounded water drops is set on the ceiling in a vertical and horizontal order. Hidden light sources are embedded in the ceiling and walls. The hexagonal bar counter is cut like a diamond. Cement, metal, glass and wood are used.
Within the evolving discourse of contemporary hospitality design, Bo Zhou's Flow Bar emerges as a compelling meditation on the transformation of functional space through sculptural intervention, demonstrating how repetitive formal elements can generate atmospheric complexity that transcends mere decoration to become immersive environmental experience. The ceiling installation, comprising dozens of metallic teardrop forms suspended from a gridded armature, suggests influences ranging from kinetic art traditions to biological morphologies, each pendant element appearing simultaneously industrial and organic, mechanical yet seemingly alive with the potential for movement. The designer's material palette reveals sophisticated understanding of how surface qualities modulate spatial perception: the rough aggregate texture of the supporting columns grounds the space in architectural honesty while the polished metallic drops introduce passages of reflection and luminosity that dematerialize solid form into light and shadow. The compositional strategy employs the grid as both organizing principle and foil against which organic curvature achieves heightened expressiveness, creating productive tension between rational order and sensuous form that characterizes distinguished contemporary interior practice. The bar counter itself, rendered in dark materials with metallic accents, anchors the functional program while allowing the ceiling installation to command primary visual attention, establishing a hierarchy that prioritizes experiential atmosphere over conventional hospitality aesthetics. The inclusion of a solitary figure silhouetted against the rear window provides essential human scale, allowing viewers to comprehend the installation's substantial dimensions while suggesting the contemplative solitude such spaces might afford. One might consider how the teardrop form, with its associations of fluidity, precipitation, and suspended time, transforms the act of gathering and drinking into something approaching ritual contemplation.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- In the only entry, an intentionally slanted wall separates the interior from the exterior environment. The silent but deep industrial ink color extends to every part of the interior of the space, giving a mysterious atmosphere and a sense of the unknown. The space that seems to be blocked from the outside is reconnected by a line of narrow windows on the street wall, creating a new interactive relationship between the inside and outside worlds.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Project Area: 180 square meters
- Tags
- Bo Zhou, Commercial space, Artistic installation, Bar, Shengyang
- Production Technology
- Cement, Metal, Glass, Wooden, Artwork, etc.
- Design Challenge
- The ceiling and wall interfaces are embedded with hidden light sources, and the large diffuse reflections create a subtle atmosphere, widening the field of interaction between people gazing outward or exploring inward. Compared to the open layout of the conventional bar counter, the designer has given the hexagonal bar a diamond-like cut, making it the second visual center of the whole scene with its unique material and shape.
- Project Duration
- Located in Shengyang, China, this project is started in August 2021 and completed in January 2022.
- Operation Flow
- Due to its long and narrow building structure, the designer abandoned the normal sequence and used the seat combination. The tables and chairs, and water ripples on the floor constitute the contrast with the artwork on the ceiling, balancing the harsh and soft elements in the space. The metal, wooden materials and geometric images shape the unique form of the bar, enabling guests to interact and drink in a comfortable way. Therefore, guests can feel the purity, calm and happiness of this space.
- Research
- This commercial space created by the designer follows the logic of return and market trend. Beyond the creative formula and aesthetic law, work has been done to break the inherent impression, reshape the scene interaction, and achieve its commercial goal. Flow Bar has linked the two worlds, one is the lively and individualistic inner city, and the other is the secluded and quiet outer city.
- Inspiration
- Entering the space, grand modern artwork on the ceiling will grasp your attention. In the shape of round water drop, the artwork demonstrates its beauty in vertical and horizontal order, constituting a symbol of contemporary art. With the quiet and warm light and shadow, the movement of each drop of "water" allows people to perceive the rhythm of spatial flow in an unexpected way, and build a very different experience for people to feel the pace of art.
- Image Credits
- Photographer TOPIA
Colors of Flow Bar
Get Flow Bar
Commercial Interior Design for Hospitality and Retail
We transform commercial spaces into vibrant experiences that drive business success. Our holistic approach combines strategic positioning, spatial aesthetics, and installation art to create memorable environments for hotels, restaurants, bars, and retail brands.
G0E3 Shop