Project Info
Project Name: Peridot Bar
Location: 38th floor, The Henderson building, Hongkong
Interior Design: Studio Paolo Ferrari
Perched on the 38th floor of The Henderson, Peridot Bar by Studio Paolo Ferrari reimagines the cocktail lounge as an immersive, almost theatrical environment. Rather than leaning into the familiar nostalgia of classic bar interiors, the project proposes a new spatial language that blends emotional memory with speculative futurism.
At just 1,600 square feet, the compact footprint becomes an advantage. The design treats the space as a contained world, divided into two distinct zones - a main lounge and a more secluded rear room - connected through reflective steel-framed portals. At the center, the bar acts as both hinge and stage, reinforcing the idea of hospitality as performance.
The central bar, clad in green marble and polished steel, acts as both anchor and stage within the compact layout
Tucked behind reflective portals, the rear lounge compresses space and light into a quieter, more introspective atmosphere
What defines Peridot most immediately is its continuous shell. Walls and ceilings dissolve into a seamless, curved surface formed from prefabricated plywood, CNC-cut and coated in a custom green-yellow plaster. This monolithic gesture eliminates conventional boundaries, creating a cocoon-like enclosure that feels carved rather than constructed.
A continuous olivine-toned shell wraps Peridot Bar, dissolving walls and ceiling into a seamless, immersive enclosure
Reflective steel portals frame transitions between spaces, amplifying depth within the 1,600-square-foot interior
The chosen hue - an olivine tone inspired by natural mineral gradients - extends across every surface, from drapery to carpet to marble finishes. By day, it reads as softly golden; by night, it deepens into a surreal, almost otherworldly green. The bar’s name itself references the gemstone peridot, grounding the palette in a material metaphor that is both literal and atmospheric.
A restrained palette of mineral greens, stainless steel, and soft textiles balances precision with tactile warmth
Light, however, is the project’s most transformative element. More than 20,000 LED points are embedded into the shell, each housed within frosted acrylic cylinders capped in polished steel. This matrix of illumination creates a diffuse, shifting glow - cooler during the day and warmer by night - mirroring the rhythm of the city outside. The effect is neither decorative nor purely technical; it produces a sense of depth and motion, turning the interior into a luminous field rather than a static room.
More than 20,000 embedded LEDs transform the space into a luminous field, shifting subtly from day to night
Materially, the space balances restraint with richness. Green marble anchors the central bar, while polished stainless steel surfaces amplify both light and sound, heightening the performative aspect of mixology. Plush seating in mohair and alpaca velvet introduces softness, countering the precision of the architectural shell. Despite its immersive quality, the palette remains tightly controlled - steel, stone, wool - repeated and refined rather than diversified.
Polished steel surfaces reflect both light and movement, reinforcing the performative nature of the bar experience
A monolithic expanse of veined green marble wraps the vanity and walls, amplifying depth within the intimate space
This tension between minimal means and maximal effect reflects Ferrari’s broader philosophy, often described as “romantic futurism”. The design draws subtle parallels to historical typologies, particularly the intimacy of mid-century lounges, while rejecting their visual language. Instead, Peridot constructs a new kind of familiarity: one rooted not in stylistic reference, but in atmosphere, light, and sensory continuity.
Beyond its spatial qualities, the bar extends its conceptual ambition into its programming. A terroir-driven cocktail menu and plant-based culinary approach reinforce the idea of experience as narrative, where ingredients, geography, and technique become part of the storytelling. Live music and performance further activate the interior, aligning with the project’s core premise that a bar is not just a place to drink, but a stage for interaction.
In a city defined by density and vertical spectacle, Peridot distinguishes itself not through scale, but through immersion. It does not compete with the skyline so much as reinterpret it, translating the flicker of urban light into an interior language that is intimate, enveloping, and quietly surreal.
PHOTO CREDIT: Virgile Simon Bertrand
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