Wool and sheer voile curtains envelop this intimate listening bar in south London designed by artist Eva Gold, drawing on references including David Lynch‘s Twin Peaks series and a modernist Mies van der Rohe installation.
Upstairs at Hausu is located directly above Hausu restaurant, which serves an array of Asian-inspired small plates to the soundtrack of jazz, soul and electronic vinyl.
The bar is one floor up from Peckham’s Hausu restaurant
The newly added bar similarly plays music records but also hosts an array of DJs and serves a robust selection of cocktails that riff on the food offered downstairs.
When designer and artist Eva Gold was put in charge of the bar’s interiors, television and cinema ended up being key points of reference – fitting given that Hausu was named after a 1977 Japanese horror-comedy film.
Brown woollen curtains were hung around the edge of the room
Her main inspiration was The Red Room from director David Lynch’s cult series Twin Peaks, a surreal, multidimensional space engulfed by crimson curtains.
Gold was also influenced by The Velvet and Silk Cafe, an installation created by designer Lilly Reich and architect Mies van der Rohe for a fashion exhibition in 1927 that featured several curved “walls” and partitions made from swathes of fabric.
Sheerer curtains act as dividers between tables
“I wanted the cocktail bar to feel dark and intimate,” Gold told Dezeen. “So I thought a lot about desire, and its connection to the unknown.”
“Both [The Red Room and The Velvet and Silk Cafe] utilise curtains, essentially playing with the idea of concealing or obscuring something.”
Peckham Palais nightclub reopens with “layered and atmospheric” interior
Upstairs at Hausu is framed by a series of different curtains. Heavy chocolate-coloured wool drapes run around the periphery of the space, complementing the deep-brown dado painted around the lower half of the bar’s white walls.
Sheer voile curtains were suspended between a few of the wooden tables, creating cosy pockets of seating; these can be drawn back to accommodate larger groups if needed.
Music is fed through speakers that sit at different points throughout the room
Speakers are dotted throughout the room to provide balanced, high-quality sound, with some mounted in the corners and larger models set on the floor.
The space is softly illuminated by paper lanterns that dangle from the ceiling. Decoration was otherwise kept simple with potted plants and a slender metal shelf displaying vinyl covers.
Vinyl covers are displayed on metal shelving
Upstairs at Hausu isn’t the only drinks spot to have recently landed in this corner of south London. Last month saw the reopening of nightclub Peckham Palais.
After being closed for 15 years, the venue now has a “layered and atmospheric” interior featuring raspberry-red walls and leather banquettes.
The photography is by Adam Firman.