Australian designers Roomoo and Lucas Chirnside were called upon to design this unusual wine bar in Xiantiandi in the heart of Shanghai. The particularity of this establishment lies in the original organization of the space and service as well as its interior/exterior flexibility.

When waiters have to serve a bottle of wine, they do not pick it up in the cellar as in traditional restaurants or bars but rather up in the air. We can see them climbing ladders to access a mezzanine to choose the nectar that customers want. Once chosen, the bottle will not be brought to the table by the waiter, as we usually see, but it will be hoisted, delivered in a basket via an ingenious system of ropes. For the French, it would be difficult to imagine having a good bottle served in this way, but this experience is a great success with Shanghai customers.

To give a rustic atmosphere typical of a cellar, the walls have been made of terracotta. The designers decided to free themselves from the traditional constraints of catering, by installing the bar not at the back of the establishment but on the front.

This façade can be completely removable, half-opened or completely closed, depending on the manager’s wishes or the weather. Tables are available to customers inside or outside depending on the positioning of the façade. With these different possible combinations, the bar can have a completely different look from one day to the next or even from one hour to the next. The brightly colored furniture pops in its blue and orange tones.

When the façade is completely enclosed, a second removable partition can be closed inside to create more intimate spaces—VIP rooms—where discreet light escapes through different sized holes.

Both sophisticated and warm, the atmosphere of the establishment puts itself out there as chic and functional, offering customers a unique moment of relaxation after work or while meeting friends in the evening.