It takes more than just a deftly composed daiquiri to stand out in today’s crowded international cocktail-bar scene: Contemporary globetrotting tipplers also demand top-notch ambiance from the establishments they frequent.
On that front, Lyaness in the British capital is already two for two: In addition to an innovative drinks menu overseen by master mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, the South Bank venue known formerly as Dandelyan – another Chetiyawardana venture – boasts a distinctive retro-glam vibe as intoxicating as any elixir.
Located in Sea Containers London – a Thameside hotel that was the Mondrian London until Lore Group, an international hospitality company operating in the U.S. and Europe, assumed management of the property in January – Lyaness was realized by Jacu Strauss, who was key to the look of the original bar under the direction of Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio.
This time working with Lore Studio – the management group’s in-house design arm, which Strauss founded in 2018 – the designer reimagined the Lyaness space to emphasize two features: the inherent theatricality of the multi-level room and its panoramic view across the Thames to the City of London.
A new, subtly nautical colour palette consisting of pale blues and soft greys (seen primarily in the lounge furniture and seating areas) complements a sweeping green-marble bar retained from the original design. Blue and bronze mirrored cocktail tables also distinguish the space, as does a long deep-tufted blue banquette.
The latter feature, running the full length of one wall, lines an elevated, stage-like area punctuated by a massive octagonal mirrored lighting fixture that reflects the space in its entirety.
In homage to Warren Platner, the original American architect of the building in which Lyaness is located, classic sixties-era Platner chairs sit alongside modern Group Chairs by Quebec-born Philippe Malouin for SCP, creating a design dialogue across decades.
“It’s a destination where glamour meets brutalism,” the Lore Group says of Sea Containers London as a whole. This expert blending of periods is epitomized by Lyaness, which has the look and feel of “a cruise liner … in the golden age of transatlantic travel” but also a fresh and contemporary vibe all its own.