SAN CARLO
CHAMPAGNE BAR
Architect | Universal Studio
Location | Manchester
Year | 2020
San Carlo Bottega Champagne Bar at Selfridges in Manchester commissioned Universal Design Studio, a London-based design practice, to develop a project that celebrates Italian craft, luxury, and beauty with a sense of softness, and elegance. The high-end aesthetic of the San Carlo Bottega Champagne Bar at Selfridges in Manchester is lit by an iconic, sculptural chandelier that takes centre stage above the bar.
The vision for the project was to create a shimmering cloud reminiscent of champagne bubbles. The effect was obtained using 1000 individually cast glass discs of 20 cm diameter. Each disk was centrally sanded to create a unique dimensional nuance and the texture of the glass was kept completely raw, giving a fluctuating, bubbly effect. Blown glass spheres were also added to the middle of the ‘glass cloud’ to enrich and illuminate it. WonderGlass designed the canopy and mounting mechanism that supports the chandelier.
Photographed by Charles Hosea.