Monday Motivation: Dark Star

By Oriana Lerner of Boutique Design

Studio MODE's Svetoslav Todorov makes black-and-white thinking the foundation for full-spectrum drama in immersive nightclubs.

Guests looking for a focal point in Sofia, Bulgaria’s Club Mascara (located in the basement of the building that houses the city’s opera and ballet and bearing a name derived from the idea of masked characters in those performances) won’t need to go ask Alice for directions. Even though Lewis Carroll’s classic book inspired the space, Sofia-based Studio MODE founder Svetoslav Todorov distilled that outsize vision board into a slick space that’s far from any rabbit hole.

All that glitters in Flash Club, Bansko, Bulgaria, isn't gold—it's a sparkling reflection of a camera flash. Photo: Tihomir Rachev

“Being too literal is always a road leading to failure,” he says. “I do not believe in this approach; it is against my ideology for design.”

 
Sofia's Club Mascara gives the ceiling a star turn. Playing with rounded seating and checked fabric grounds the gloss of the space's shell. Photo: Tihomir Rachev

So, the sweeping white curved walls became a backdrop for a more straightforward space that nods to the over-the-top source material rather than recreating the feeling of Wonderland. Todorov is fine with grounding his own flights of fancy. For much of his 13-year-old firm’s work, stripping away the out-there, almost garish palettes typical of nightlife venues in favor of applying monochromatic restraint keeps even the most sprawling (or, in the case of the "Tron"-inspired Flash Club in Bansko, Bulgaria, slightly nerdy) design narrative from being one-note or running the risk of looking too “themed.”

Svetoslav Todorov, Studio MODE. Photo: Courtesy of Studio MODE

For Mascara, keeping one element (the color scheme) low-key gave him license to explore extravagance in other ways. A black-and-white floor, already extant in the historic building, provides a foundation for a study in pattern—including checked sofas and a vertical grille around the bar.

In Flash, Todorov spun the same tonality into a riff on reflection and refraction—mirrored panels set around the VIP booths provide a dynamic image of the club. Circular lights in the ceiling resemble camera lenses, but their oversize scale amps up the impact in a quiet hint at the film’s techie cachet.

No photo filters were harmed in the making of this shot of Flash Club's bathroom—it's just a neutral zone, albeit a slickly futuristic one. Photo: Tihomir Rachev

He’s also a fan of spring cleaning his materials palette for each project as a means of focusing the design. “We try to be careful in the choice of expressive materiality and number of elements in a single space,” says Todorov. “There is always a material that is an accent, which becomes a theme, and/or one that leads the overall composition. It could be something natural like wood, or something industrial like concrete, as in one of our recently finished projects in Dubai.”

A round bar and a giant light overhead evoke different parts of a camera in Flash Club. Downlighting helps focus attention. Photo: Tihomir Rachev

So much for the visuals. It’s the behind-the-scenes process that’s just as important, argues Todorov. “I believe that vision is not everything; one needs to have also the technical knowledge and database to create a finished and functional product/design,” he says. “We test every material, every idea with physical samples and scale models. Our engineering capacity makes a big contribution to the overall design.”

 
Images of music stands on Mascara's walls offer a subtle nod to its location below a theater. Photo: Tihomir Rachev

That lets him play with using interior architecture to create built-in statement pieces rather than relying on decorative art. Translating the circular motif in Flash into a structural concept, complete with raised floor supporting round banquettes, completes the design statement without any additional clutter.

But it’s not always a question of drastic changes. For instance, at Mascara, Todorov turned an engineer’s eye to details such as the white shelving that provides support and serves as an accent piece behind the bar to draw the eye to the intricate elements in the original ceiling.

The non-visual aspects of the design are also crucial. Knowing the music that’s going to be played at a venue, from hip-hop to EDM, is as key to delivering what a client wants as knowing the It crowd’s favorite films.

The curves of the walls and floor in Mascara are more than just interesting design—they're a wink to the off-kilter world of “Alice in Wonderland.” Photo: Tihomir Rachev

Also vital is making sure the client understands the business sense behind the style.

“Our perception of good and premium design is a perfect balance between technology, ergonomics, function and aesthetics. That translates to bottom line benefits for clients, since guests respond well to the spaces,” says Todorov.

Now, he's ready to take that approach to the next level. More specifically, the nightclub superstar is eager to try his hand at #daylife. “I would love to branch out into hotels,” he explains.

Also on his wish list? Expanding his geographic boundaries and building more global recognition for his firm. Fortunately, design idioms make sense in every language.

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS

CLUB MASCARA
CLIENT: Club Mascara
DESIGN FIRM: Studio MODE: Svetoslav Todorov, lead designer/engineer
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Labirint 2008 Ltd.
AUDIO/VISUAL: Forte Music; L`ACOUSTICS 
CEILINGS: Mebel Group; BMP Lighting; Illuminate 
FLOORING: Stone Center Group Ltd.
FURNITURE: Mebel Group
LIGHTING: BMP Lighting; Illuminate; ROBE
WALLCOVERINGS AND MATERIALS: Mebel Group

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
FLASH CLUB
CLIENT: Flash Club
DESIGN FIRM: Studio MODE: Svetoslav Todorov, lead designer/engineer
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Avon-5 Ltd.
AUDIO/VISUAL: X Audio
CEILINGS: Proline Ltd.
FLOORING: Balta Group; Dornko
FURNITURE: Proline Ltd.
LIGHTING: BMP Lighting; X Audio 
WALLCOVERINGS AND MATERIALS: Décor Glass Design

Original Article from Boutique Design: http://www.boutiquedesign.com/content/dark-star