Award Winning
Diva Lounge
Davis Square, Somerville, MA
Expansion of restaurant and new urban lounge
Completion: 2006
Award Winning Project!
Our project won an award!
- Award For Design Excellence
Project Overview
An expanded restaurant and new bar space. The design ambition for the Diva Lounge was to use a combination of ambient lighting and engaging materials to create and enhance social interactions.
Project Team
Hansy Better Barraza
Anthony J. Piermarini
Michael Beaman
Jason Frantzen
Shane Zhao
Rachel Schauer
Lighting Design
Light This!
Code Consultant
Albert Costa Architects
Structural Engineer
Zerounian Associates
Mechanical Engineer
Ibrahim + Ibrahim
Construction
IDS Construction
Photography
John Horner
ILLUMINATION & COLOR
CUSTOM LIGHTING
Illumination and color introduce a playful spirit to the otherwise uniform commercial space. Low-voltage, amber-colored LED lighting creates a dreamy dusk-or-dawn environment.
AFFORDABLE MATERIALS
SALVAGED BUTTERNUT & PRE-FABRICATED PANELS
Banquettes are carved from salvaged Vermont butternut. Prefabricated polycarbonate skylight bubbles – a solution to customization and affordability – billow out from the walls and ceiling in a cloud-like manner.
CREATIVE SPATIAL DESIGN
SCULPTURAL BATHROOM PODS
Structural pods finished in a textured plaster conceal the ever-present bathroom waiting line while creating surplus space to mingle.
About the Lounge
In Somerville
For Diva Lounge in Somerville, Studio Luz created a dream-like space that not only sets the mood, but also responds to the traditional lounge experience. Prefabricated polycarbonate skylight bubbles billow out from the walls and ceiling to create a cloud-like atmosphere. In this setting, the earthy bar top – carved from a full log – reads as otherworldly. Banquettes carved from salvaged Vermont butternut serve as textural counterpoints to low-voltage LEDs. Tables feature curious nipples, flirting with their users, while backrests in the seating areas feature rounded cut-outs that allow loungers to rub shoulders. These details create additional opportunities for distraction and interaction among patrons. Bathrooms are conceived as sculptural pods, which respond to the ever-present bathroom line and recognize it as a significant social space in the lounge experience. The finish surface experiments in plaster texturing that resemble “goose bumps” and are pleasing to touch. The overall effect of the space negotiates community and introspection in an architectural experience. The design earned an Interior Architecture Award from Boston Society of Architects, Best Designed Hospitality from DDI Magazine, and the Illumination Design Award from The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.
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