BOND Designs Bar Leone’s Enveloping Dual Concepts

A low honey-gold glow suffuses the first floor of Bar Leone, a recently opened Soho, New York cocktail lounge from restaurateur Andres Diaz. One floor down, red velvet wallpaper, a red lacquer and chrome bar, and one luscious 120-foot red vinyl banquette—snaking along the entirety of the subterranean environs—enhance the interior drama. These two complementary concepts, a mid-century martini bar and an Italo-disco lounge, were developed in concert with architecture and interior design studio BOND.

“There is an element of surprise,” BOND co-founder Daniel Rauchwerger tells Surface. “You come in from the street and you go through a curtain. You enter into this amber world.” To achieve this, BOND covered walls in Sapele wood. Banquettes are upholstered in corduroy velvet. Red travertine acts as punctuation. Bar Leone’s furniture pieces were designed and fabricated in collaboration with Tommaso Spinzi. Custom light fixtures were designed by BOND in collaboration with Gantri—they’re 3D-printed totems of different units of measure.

Ultimately, it took more than two years to transform the 4,800-square-foot space. BOND had actually pitched for another one of Diaz’s projects. The concept was derived from the golden age of train travel, defined by interior wood cabins, but with Paris outdoor terrace proportions. BOND envisioned something open for people watching and the flow of conversation, but with corners to tuck into for privacy and comfort. This is what now defines Bar Leone.

“We wanted a place where people could dress up,” Noam Dvir, BOND’s co-founder, adds. “Upstairs, you’re dressed up. You have a bite. Later, you head downstairs, where you can dance until 3 a.m.” The upstairs color scheme indulges in ‘70s nostalgia. BOND says it’s almost a reimagining of a fabulous New York City night through the lens of vintage Prada, or Miu Miu. The cocktail bar’s floor plan is certainly a fit for a fashion show.

“We also wanted to create a space that’s not so precious,” Rauchwerger adds. He and Dvir knew it would be put to use. And that’s exactly what Diaz has done. From a caviar and martini menu, developed in collaboration with Beluga and Seventy One Gin, to a fresh raw bar and a menu of flavorful small plates, the culinary program entices. Music also layers into the aesthetic, with Neapolitan jazz or funk upstairs, and late-night DJ sets below.