My very nice Turkish clients asked me to design an open bar for the rooftop terrace of a hotel in Budapest.
Given that it is a rented space, a major redesign was not possible, but wasn’t even necessary, as the view of the city are so exeptional that any special design elements would only distract from the magnificent view.
I had two considerations to keep in mind. One was the seasonality, the bar is only open until the end of September, and the other was to chhose weatherproof furniture, as the terrace is exposed to strong sun, rain and wind.
I chose clean, colourful chairs designed specifically for the outdoors, shade was provided by sun sails and parasols, and the centre bar tables were designed around green leafy trees. The first choice were olive trees, a reference to the Turkish owners, but in the end we chose a larger, fast-growing laurel tree for this purpose.
The terrace is an irregular rectangle, which we ‘filled’ with a built-in bench in one of the corners, on which I designed cushions with Turkish patterns, to give it a Turkish feel, referring to my clients.
We “dressed up” the existing bar counter with wooden slats, which our skilled carpenter mounted on a special weather-resistant panel.
The next step will be to wrap glass around and cover the roof terrace, so that you can enjoy the wonderful view in all seasons. I hope it will happen, because it will be a fantastic experience to see the snowy Budapest from the warmth.