Coco interior designer Pirajan Leeds turned to the sultry, saturated colors of director Wong Kar-wai’s film when renovating Hong Kong nightclub Dragon-i.
Founded by Gilbert Yong in 2002, Dragon-i is one of Hong Kong’s most famous nightlife venues.
London studio Pirajan Leeds worked closely with Yen to transform the venue’s interior, including adding a members’ club and installing bespoke furniture in the space, designed by the studio and made by Chinese artisans.
“Our goal from the beginning was to reinvigorate the sexiness and excitement, rawness and rawness of the 1990s and early 1990s,” said studio co-founder James Leeds. “For us, this was the idea of reviving the romantic side of Hong Kong.”
When visualizing the interior, Leeds and co-founder Clemence Pirajan were informed by the film’s vibrant cinematography by Hong Kong director Wong, whose credits include the colorful 2000 romance drama “In the Mood for Love.”
The pair reconfigured the nightclub’s layout, with a central marble-topped bar adorned with a glittering glass-brick drinks cabinet.
Swirled wood panels frame the DJ booth and provide a textured backdrop for the sound system’s handcrafted speakers, and the banquette is finished in silver leather.
The entire dimly lit interior design features a meticulous architectural frame, which the designer described as mimicking the “memories of a great night” captured in individual snapshots.
“Everything was very cinematic,” Pirajan told Dezeen. “We wanted to guide people through their experience.”
The bathroom features more frames covered in intentionally disorienting floor-to-ceiling mirrored panels. The large cubicle was finished entirely in stainless steel and illuminated by a single pink light.
“We’re still working on getting a DJ in that bathroom,” Leeds joked.
The decadent materials were chosen by the designers to appeal to a strong sense, as they felt appropriate for a music-centric venue. This included an impressive selection of Chinese marble, the likes of which the duo had never worked with before.
“Some are pink, some are acid green, and some have amazing egg-like masses,” Pirajan said.
The members-only club is located adjacent to the nightclub in a former restaurant and was designed to balance the theatrical feel of the nightclub with an intimate, homely atmosphere.
This space includes a listening bar where guests can enjoy a wide selection of Yeung’s personal records. These records are stored on oversized shelves built behind the perforated DJ booth.
A central “library” was located in the center of the bar and was furnished with back-to-back sofas upholstered in plush velvet. A green banquette snakes into the corner of the room, and textile-covered walls soften the acoustics.
The game room is located next to the listening bar and is designed to be as immersive as the rest of the venue. The outdoor terrace offers moments of rest.
Dragon-i epitomizes the Dezeen Awards-nominated studio’s “highly detailed”, story-driven approach.
“The spirit of the project was freedom, fun, and not taking ourselves too seriously,” Pirajan said.
“It’s a club of really interesting and quirky creators,” she added. “We didn’t limit ourselves in terms of where this wild character would stop.”
“It’s a bit of a mess,” Leeds added. “It’s just the madness and insanity of the streets of Hong Kong.”
Piragene Leeds is known for the interior design of the members’ space at North London nightclub Coco, and has also worked on other restaurants in the city, including central sushi spot Kioku and Mayfair’s 20 Berkeley.
Photographed by Edmond Leon.
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