Last week I had the opportunity to attend Suite Charlotte's rebranding media party in the Epicentre. Now, most of you reading this right now must be thinking... How does a club in downtown Charlotte relate to a design and decor style blog like [Defined Designs]??
While most twenty-somethings living in a city might be all about the open bar and the private invite, the design nerd that I am was immediately giddy to see the "new" Suite and all of the design changes they might have made. With many of my own design ideas running through my head I had no idea what to expect and needed to go see for myself. Not to mention I had heard that they were completing a half a million dollar renovation along with rebranding the entire club. [sounded pretty impressive to me]
Once I got to the Media Party I have to be honest, I was surprised to see that there were only a handful of people who attended. I might have blown it up in my mind, but I was expecting to walk into a packed house with people and cameras everywhere. Might also have something to do with the fact that every time I've been to Suite previously it's been a packed house..[the kind where a five foot tall girl like myself has to duck and dive to get to the bar]
Getting back to the design...
Rather than just talking about it - why don't I just show you what it looks like
Ceiling feature in the center of the dance floor [lights change colors] In my opinion, THE focal point of the entire club. You can't miss it!
New branded bottle cages and ice buckets for the VIP tables. [fancy, fancy - I approve!]
VIP area Love that back wall! [Mirror and all!]
Wall divider and Ceiling features. All those circles hanging from the ceiling?? Don't worry - those change colors with the lights too!
Mirrored 3D wall feature at the bar to showcase liquor [Did you know that the owner of Suite also owns Bubble in the Epicentre also?]
Overall view of the dance floor
Bar countertops [looks like ice right?] With me being the designer I am, the one thing I always make note of when I go to a bar is.. the bar counter.. This one you can't miss!
Another change that I think is really cool: Lighting. Lighting can change the atmosphere of a club and makes the space look dramatic. This is true for every space [not just a club]
Perfect example:
The next thing I'm sure most people are thinking... How does a club shut down for a redesign of this scale? Well, they really didn't. This installation was mainly completed off-site and was brought in after hours and installed within an impressive time frame, I might add. [They didn't even miss a weekend rush] Now, if that doesn't impress you I don't know what will.
Overall, I liked what I saw. I love that it has almost an ice-y/ lightning theme to the whole place now. It brings everything together as a whole and adds some drama to the lighting and atmosphere. There were some very impressive features to the redesign of the well-known club [well - if you live in CLT it's well known]
As for the future? I have no doubt that Suite will be as busy as ever with all of the work they've done to it. I'm sure it'll take some sneaky moves for me to get to the bar next time I'm there..
As a designer myself, I do think that there could have been more of a [WOW factor] and probably would have done it a little bit different.. But doesn't every designer say that??
What do you think? Are you impressed?
Also - Keep your eyes out for their outdoor patio install. Once the weather gets warmer [part two] of their install will be in full swing. Just in time for Alive After Five for all you Charlotteans!
