24-02-2017

Mr. Simon, a secret bar.

Udine,

Bar,

Design,

VisualDisplay,

An out-of-the-way place that really exists.



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Mr. Simon, a secret bar. An out-of-the-way place that really exists... but it's a secret. Mr. Simon is the latest project by Italian creative agency Visual Display, specialised in retail design and brand identity: a cocktail bar in Udine where you can taste the creations of an alchemist botanist, and feel right at home.


A secluded spot where you can sip on an exquisite cocktail in the company of friends and in a truly intimate, warm atmosphere: this is what's been around for a few weeks now in Udine at Mr. Simon, the cocktail bar of a renowned bartender who is happy to welcome a limited number of selected guests who manage to find the place.
That's right because Mr. Simon doesn't have a neon street sign, it actually hides behind a broom closet of a recently opened restaurant in the city. To get into it, you have to make a phone reservation and get the secret access code.
This concept of exclusiveness is reflected through the whole project, the brainchild of the creative team at Visual Display, the Udine-based agency that was tasked with fitting out this secret spot, together of course with the bartender, a botanical alchemist who loves mixology and travelling and collecting memorabilia. All these passions are reflected in the cocktail bar's interior, which only seats 25: a blue lounge with dimmed lighting, and coloured velvet furniture and mirrors, set off by objects that tell the story of the host.
The central element of the whole is the marble-top and Alcantara leather counter, like an altar where Mr. Simon officiates - in other words, he lovingly crafts his innovative cocktails, fruits of his innumerable trips and of whatever inspires him at the moment.
If you who manage to get into Mr. Simon, you enter a magical world, and you already get a hint of this in the entrance hidden behind a broom closet, like the finest tradition of fantasy stories. And indeed, the cocktails of Mr. Simon give you the idea of magic potions.
We might not learn to fly a broom or use the latest magic formulas, but there's no doubt that we'll appreciate the eclectic taste of this welcoming, peaceful and cozy intimacy, far from the madding crowd.

Christiane Bürklein

Design: Visual Display – www.visualdisplay.it
Location: Udine, Italy
Sqm: 50
Photography: Virginie Foubert Photography, Visual Display
Barman: Simone Maion 

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