b'gold standardO ne of Christchurchs newest it bars started itsleft: The project team approached the lighting and colour design life in December 2018 as a tiny pop-up in atogether toensure they would get the vibe they were after. Some single carpark bay on Victoria Street, but it didntwall and ceiling surfaces were coated in Resene SpaceCote Low take long for Brett and Hollis Giddens to see gin ginsSheen while others were in Resene SpaceCote Flat to keep glare Raising concept could be successfully scaled into a larger brick- to a minimum. Fixtures and furniture legs were painted in Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel. Walls in Resene My and-mortar context. Pink and bar front and stool legs in Resene Permanent Green.Hollis and I had a new baby at the time so Lukebelow: Walls, bar front and stool legs in Resene Permanent Green.Dawkins,ourbusinesspartnerandgeneralmanager, spearheaded the project with me, says Brett.In 2019, they purchased two buildings on the citys historic New Regent Street with the long-term goal of the bar converting them to hospitality outlets to complement the streets existing mix of niche retail, restaurants, cafes and bars. After the pandemic hit, the existing tenant needed out of their lease and serendipitously made way for gin gin to be relocated into the buildings. Combining the two spaces into one allowed them to expand what was already a strong foundation, increase their offering by hundreds of gins and further champion the burgeoning craft distilling With its strong concept and cohesiveindustry in New Zealand and beyond.colour scheme, we think this vivaciousWe worked together on the design, poring over the bars and finishing details. We each had different strengths gin bar is the bees knees. to bring to the project which complemented each other well, Brett says.The original venue was eclectic, with pretty much everything being upcycled or reused from previous bars weve had. Because it was so small, it forced people indifferentgroupstointeract,breakingdownsocial barriers as well as physical. It certainly wouldnt have worked in our new socially-distanced world! You never really knew what your experience would be like when going to gin gin, because each night took its own course with a different crowd, drinks, music and food vendors. Butitwasalwaysengaging,warmandupbeat.The demographic was 18 to 80, which is something weve maintained in the new venue.As one might expect, translating the original vibe intoResenea larger space came with challenges. We spent a lot ofopposite: Glamorous details borrowed from 1920s andMy Pinktime considering the core aspects of the first version we1930s Art Deco design updated with richly saturated wanted to translate into the new larger space and figuringcontemporary colours nod to American prohibitionReseneout how we could practically do that. Small spaces, lots ofera speakeasys with a touch of surrealist fantasy.MadisonResene Madison walls blend with sapphire velvetReseneplants, colour and a mix of vintage and new were the keycurtains and allow pink dcor and the ceiling andPermanent elements to achieve that with the fitout, while the servicearched doorway in Resene My Pink to pop in contrast.Greenand offering was another thing altogether, explains Brett. Bar front and stool legs in Resene Permanent Green.46 blackwhitemag.com blackwhitemag.com 47'