The rooftop lounge is a bar/nightclub that floats above and overlooks the busiest section of the Gaslamp district in San Diego. The perfect location for people to have drinks after dinner, to hang out with large groups of friends, or to enjoy after going out to clubs.

The objective was to create a highly interactive “see” or “be seen” environment for people to hang out, meet each other and celebrate life. The target demographic was geared towards a young, sophisticated and more upscale crowd.

Davis-Ink decided to design the entire roof as an adult playground. A huge open bar, fire pit seating, community tables and a retractable roof open to the sky. Seating was teared so everyone has access to the street view below. We wanted the space to be warm and cozy. The ultimate “feel good” space. We created a “rooftop garden” environment by using plant hedges, string lighting and wood plank tables. The design was a balanced mix of rustic and contemporary elements used in unexpected ways. For example, we selected 1920’s street lamps for general lighting but painted them a high gloss green. Traditional highly ornate “wing back” barstools where paired with midcentury copper wired seating and traditional brick was used for the bar facing but reconfigured in a “funky” herringbone pattern.

In order to avoid becoming too serious, the Davis-Ink team added a “random humor” component to the design. For example we designed a living green, elephant, pig and duck to flank the traditional fire feature and also created a random “animals in a forest” custom mural in the stairwell leading to the rooftop.