Set within the recently opened Thompson Hotel in the heart of Palm Springs, the design of Bar Issi follows a simple brief: more is more. Interior architecture and design firm Fettle Design worked on the project with Boujis Group, the duo’s fourth collaboration following Los Angeles-based restaurants Olivetta and Chez Mia.
Inspired by iconic 1970s imagery of Mediterranean glamour along the Italian coastline, the restaurant and bar channels a playful and colorful aesthetic. The exuberant color palette is brought to life through the abundant use of recycled and sustainable materials, courtesy of several partnerships with eco-friendly manufacturers, including U.K.-based Smile Plastics.
The restaurant, lounge and terrace spaces wrap around a central bar, which features a backlit top crafted by repurposed yogurt pots that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. Recycled insel is inlaid into the bar’s surface, also serving as the material for the vacuum-formed domes that bejewel the bar’s face. With expansive glazing on three sides, the bar is designed as a luminous focal point, visible from the hotel’s main lobby, South Palm Canyon Drive and beyond, creating an inviting destination for both locals and visitors.
Cheeky, green-and-pink wallpaper, depicting playful dancing crocodiles, adds a whimsical touch to the walls, while a luxurious gold mohair fabric fills the expansive ceiling coffers, from which hand-blown glass chandeliers are suspended. Patterned, recycled fabrics clothe the wave-backed banquettes and dining chairs, set against a floor of mismatched, striped, stained timber. The terrace features a quirky broken-tile floor, offering stunning views of the surrounding Palm Springs mountains.
Photography by Pablo Enriquez.
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