Located in the heart of Astoria’s busy nightlife strip, this 1,400 sf lounge opens onto Steinway Street beyond, welcoming passersby in with its mellow, relaxed ambience. Studioteka designed the interiors for the lounge, the garden, as well as the logo and signage for the storefront. Custom banquette seating flanks the space on either side, while small walnut brown tables and leather chairs allow for flexible seating for groups of different sizes. Dark slate gray tile allows the floor and the bottom of the banquettes to disappear, as the light coves draw the eye upwards. Warm colored light washes up from the backs of the banquettes, as well as down the walls from arched lighting coves, their shapes evoking the geometries of the courtyards of Morocco. Whitewashed brick adds texture and contrast along the length of the front of the space, and programmable LEDs in the coves ensure that a variety of moods can be created within the space to suit different times of day or seasons of the year.
A series of light boxes with rounded coves grace the ceiling with soft blue light, highlighting the imported Moroccan chandeliers at the center of each, their colored glass catching the light and adding detail and interest. The rear bar, with its display wall of imported tea glasses, serves as a prep area for the cappuccino, smoothies, mint tea and ice cream shakes that make this place a hit with the locals, as well as a staging ground for the imported hookahs with their scented tobacco which are brought to the tables for the venue’s clientele. The VIP area, with its warm, orange walls and arched cove lighting, is both a focal point and the lounge’s most coveted place to sit, relax and enjoy a smoke and perhaps a football match. The rear garden is a comfortable oasis, perfect for balmy summer nights under the stars.
