Raffles Boston Long Bar, Boston

Balancing the expected with the unexpected, Studio Paolo Ferrari outfits The Long Bar at Raffles Hotels and Resorts’ new Boston outpost; the established luxury brand’s first property in North America. The celebrated Toronto practice set out to pay homage to the New England metropolis historical undertones while also introducing contemporary details. The overall scheme champions its understated refinement with a timeless design scheme folding in boldly unique accents.

Studio Paolo Ferrari was given carte blanche to imagine a cohesive concept while also adhering to the brand’s intention of carefully situating the hotel within its storied surroundings.

“Our goal was to create a future classic; honoring Boston’s heritage while also looking forward,” says Paolo Ferrari, firm principal. “This was about creating an establishment that both hotel guests and locals would love to return to again and again.” When it opens later this fall, The Long Bar is set to offer three meal services a day and operate as a popular late night cocktail lounge. This was a critical factor when Studio Paolo Ferrari began programming and designing the space.

The practice drew inspiration from the great rooms of beloved institutions like the Harvard Club. It was all about reinterpreting the monumentality of great early 20th century civic architecture evident throughout Boston; a modernist architectural style infused with classic inflections.

“We wanted The Long Bar to express a quality of longevity, to feel as though it’s always been around,” Ferrari adds. The designer and his team endeavored to develop a space that could present this tried and true typology in a refreshed light. They did so by discreetly blending in a series of unconventional features and implementing a total-work-of-art strategy. “Our ambition was to also create something much more than what’s expected. This was achieved by harnessing the quality of age-old craft traditions and the sculptural treatment of materials like solid wood, precious stone, and cast plaster.” Everything from the lighting and furniture, to the hardware and finishing were custom-made by master artisans; Studio Paolo Ferrari’s long time collaborators.

Emphasizing the monumentality of the double height venue’s South and East-facing exposures, the practice introduced low-lying furnishings and built-ins. “As with many of our projects, the idea was to let guests activate the space,” Ferrari says. A meticulously conceived distribution of curvilinear seating, a perfectly proportioned bar, and alcove-embedded table settings make the most of the layout. A nuanced interplay of rich materiality, contrasting textures, attuned colorways, visual complexity, and distilled tectonics ties everything together.

Guests enter through a Verde Antico marble entryway, only to discover a herringbone-pattern oak floor playing host to spring green banquettes, upholstered in a classic fluted pattern. This installation oscillates into different bays, accommodating both intimate and group settings. Formally expressive T-section tables are joined by softly sculptural lounge chairs. Mid-Century inspired luminaires tie everything together. Stylistically timeless pendants and sconces offer a soft glow and perfectly illuminate the space at various times of days. Offset lighting and bronze detailing accentuate different surfaces even further. Hints of rust orange play well off of muted greens, browns, and stone grays.

The main honed-finished Paonazzo stone bar features a minimal top surface but its volumetric rise is defined by a sculpturally organic profile, what Ferrari describes as “buttery.” A fluted bronze front bar takes its cues from the grandeur of Georgian architecture. The jewel in The Long Bar’s crown is a high-gloss, piano-lacquered wood cabinet. This deceptively small but larger than life element appears to be free standing with components resembling folding doors but in fact, the entire furnishing is tethered to the main bar and is immovable.

“The bar cabinet epitomizes the very classic, great room bar setting I’ve come to love and wanted The Long Bar to emulate,” Ferrari says. With nuanced stylistic nods to both Art Deco and 1950’s amoebic modernism, the 9-foot tall component features mirrored interiors and contains a variety of glass and crystal stemware; the true measure of a well-worn great room. Its softened geometry renders in sumptuous materials. “It meets the basic functional needs but also hits that emotional point of glassware being an essential part of a good bar experience.”

Studio Paolo Ferrari was able to apply its quintessentially bold approach while also demonstrating its ability to make stylistic choices that respond to the brand’s stated requirements and those inherent to the site. Leaving no stone unturned, Studio Paolo Ferrari makes decisions on both macro and micro levels when delivering on a fully-conceived design strategy. The Long Bar is a testament to the practice’s ability to infuse interiors with a sense of longevity. Introduced in a cohesive range of subtle but unexpected sculptural applications, carefully chosen materials take on a timeless quality and will help the locale withstand the test of time.