Cheer wine: the best designed bar interiors

The Dolphin Hotel, Sydney, Australia

Keith Haring is bouncing off the walls and furniture in an iconic inner city pub in Surry Hills. Veteran Australian restaurateur, Maurice Terzini, has relaunched The Dolphin Hotel with art installation vibes courtesy of interior designer George Livissianis. Nip in for a post work drink and graze on thin and ultra-crisp pizzas or linger by the fireplace on the the open-air terrace to sample the extensive wine offerings (every bottle is available by the glass).

Writer: Dimity Noble 

Herzog, Munich, Germany

Maximilian Gradl and his partners originally intended to open a champagne bar, but after a survey of the light-filled L-shaped space in a postmodernist pile built in the late 1950s by Sepp Ruf and Theo Pabst, the Zurich-based architects Build_Inc had more ambitious ideas. The result is a sexy bar, lounge and restaurant that combines contemporary lines with an unabashed vintage vibe that’s completely in keeping with the building’s architectural heritage.

Writer: Daven Wu

Himitsu, Atlanta, USA

Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio did not disappoint with its first American hospitality project. Named Himitsu (the Japanese word for ‘secret’), the jewel-box cocktail lounge can only be entered first by reservation, then with an email passcode, followed by an iris scanner. The drink menu was co-created by Shingo Gokan, director of the cult New York City bar Angel’s Share.

Writer: Pei-Ru Keh

Gold on 27, Dubai, UAE

Never ones to shy away from grandiose design, the self-titled ‘seven-star’ Burj Al Arab by Jumeirah Group has gone and decked out an entire bar on its 27th floor in gold leaf. Keane Brands have gone to great lengths to ensure that every inch of the space glistens, installing a molten sculpture overhead and upholstering sunken lounge chairs in gold velour.

Writer: Emilee Tombs 

Naïve, Kiev, Ukraine

A dazzling polished brass bar, plush room-dividing curtains and rich white marble accents; the levels of opulence are entirely appropriate at Naïve, a Kiev bar solely dedicated to sparkling wine. Ukrainian firm AKZ Architectura have created a space that draws on the sense of decadence and celebration that are synonymous with the bubbles served here.

Writer: Ella Marshall