Studio 54 was the pulse of 70s idealism and pop, Leigh Bowery’s Taboo defied sexual and sartorial “norms” of the 80s, and London’s Blitz Club formed the flagship for the New Romantics: decades of culture played out on these dance floors.
Home to creatives, these nightlife scenes were nothing short of works of art themselves. It’s here that hedonism grew as loud as the techno, house, and disco soundtracks, and the ‘dress as though your life depends on it’ dress codes drew each cities’ avant-garde, sartorial crowds in from far flung places.
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Today, all of those dance floors are quiet, backstreet entrances bordered up, now only remembered and reimagined in art galleries. The Fashion and Textile Museum kicked off the new trend with Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London last year remembering the impact of Leigh Bowery’s London club, Taboo, which paved way for the current Leigh Bowery! exhibition at Tate Modern which remembers his canonical influence in fashion, art, and club culture. In September this year, The Design Museum will open Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s where icons “turn[ed] a niche club night into a launchpad for global superstardom”.
While the prohibition of the 1920s became a breeding ground for secretive speakeasies, the 2020s has seen clubs and music venues shutter their entrances at record rates – spurred on by the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the UK, over a decade of conservative rule. Still, the art world is enamoured with the design and cultural legacies of these now-shuttered nightclubs, as well as the creative forces behind them. So where can you find the same enthusiasm today?
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While the future of nightlife seems uncertain, with younger generations becoming priced out of affluent member’s clubs, and even the entry fees of iconic institutions as venues battle with higher rents, the Tate Modern, Fashion and Textile Museum, and Design Museum are proof that there is still an appetite for the knows-no-boundaries kind of creativity that thrives only at night.
Here are a few of the nightclubs – and the design teams behind them – keeping dance floors around the world alive and stylish.
Little Sister, New York
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Two floors below New York’s trendy East Village hotel, Moxy NYC, find Little Sister. The Rockwell Group were responsible for this golden-hued, curved-ceiling, and velvet chair clad secret spot. Playing into all the underground lounge concepts, this spot cleverly blends sultry cocktail bar with music venue.
Silencio, Paris
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Famed for his award-winning series Twin Peaks and film Mulholland Drive, it’s a lesser known fact that American filmmaker David Lynch is the man behind the design of one of Paris’ hottest nightclubs, Silencio. A club, cinema, performance space, and salon for cultural events all wrapped up in one, the interiors incorporate elements from Lynch’s films as well as inspiration from historic literary salons. Silencio also opened their New York City outpost last year, which looks just as stylish.
2WEEKS, Beirut
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Rabih Geha Architects are the creative group behind one of Lebanon’s hottest spots: 2WEEKS nightclub. Found in Beirut’s leisure centre, this club overlooks the city’s sea port and blends in from the outside with its steel-cast shipping container-like walls. Inside, blue velvet lounge seating is lit up by red and blue strobe lighting, all centred around an enormous bar.
Annabel’s London
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As one of the few nightclubs in London that saw us through the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s and still remains open, Annabel’s has garnered a reputation that spans the globe – mention the name and undoubtedly it will be recognised. Opened by Mark Birley in 1963, Martin Brudnizki re-imagined the flamboyant interiors under the guise of verdant English gardens. The basement nightclub is dark and sultry, nodding to its decorative history, and has definitely seen its fair share of extravagant parties. Plus, Annabel’s wins the most stylish bathroom in London.
Apollo Club, Milan
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A cocktail bar and club all wrapped up in one, this spot in Italy’s fashion capital is no stranger to the fashionable crowds. Partly because this stylish spot was designed in reference to the creative – and secretive – spots of the 1920s, which, while “roaring”, battled with the limitations of the New York prohibition. Apollo Club is centred around an enormous glittering disco ball, and comes complete with plenty of private event spaces and a retro-style playroom too, featuring classic arcade-style games. The bar and club’s regular programme involves live music at the weekends, but Apollo Club often hosts pop-ups and after parties at Milan Design Week and Fashion Week too.
Teatro Eslava, Madrid
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Since opening as a nightclub in 1981, in an impressive feat of time, Teatro Eslava has managed to remain as one of Madrid’s most popular nightclubs. Housed in an old concert hall in Madrid that was built in 1872, the venue still plays homage to its Spanish theatrical roots with flamenco shows and live artist performances, as well as international DJ residencies. It was the widely-acclaimed architect Philippe Starck who reimagined the 2022 re-opening (following renovations) of Teatro Eslava with surrealist influences – so plenty of gold-gilded glamour.
Kymax by OMA, Bali
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Klymax nightclub in Bali’s creative-magnet Seminyak Potato Head resort has stepped the design standard up a notch. The spot is much more than a black box. The work of architecture studio OMA, stylish honey-beige toned leather seats on the side of the dance floor blend into the warm wood tones of the panelled walls, with a glittering disco ball hung in the centre. Plus, the sound system has been designed by the man behind Studio 54 and Paradise Garage, Richard Long.
Habacoa, Bahamas
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Perhaps slightly cheating here, as Hobocoa is not yet open. However, as one of the current projects by Zaha Hadid Architects (of the late architect Zaha Hadid) and one of the very few nightclubs on their incredible architectural portfolio, it had to make an appearance on this list. When it opens, Hobocoa will transform the marina into a hotspot with the 5,000 square-foot casino and two-storey nightclub complete with glass walls and a roof terrace.
Lead image credit: Outside the Blitz club in 1979. Photograph: Sheila Rock.
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