MIAMI BEACH, FL — The Opium Group, known for its South Beach clubs, turned a 6,500-square foot empty space into a sought-after Louis XV-inspired, over-the-top lounge and relied on Chauvet LED lighting to illuminate the new venue. Louis Bar-Lounge is located on the ground level of the Gansevoort South, a beachfront hotel and spa. The owners describe the new club’s feel as that of “a royal Parisian palace on a happy acid trip, featuring color schemes of black lacquered surfaces juxtaposed with flashes of bright fuschias, hot pinks and canary yellows.” It can accommodate up to 425 people.
Todd Small, a lighting technician and designer with The Opium Group, said the company wanted to give the illusion of taller ceilings. “Most clubs have 14-foot ceilings,” he said. “Here, with the 8-foot height, we even mirrored the ceilings to make this space grander.”
Len Rowe, also an Opium lighting director who worked on the project, said the solution proved to be Chauvet MiN Spots and Vue VIs. “Because of the low ceiling we also had to make sure the lights were not too bright,” he said.
The club ordered 32 Chauvet MiN Spots, whose compact size allowed flush mounting some of the spots where the ceiling was taller. The remainder was suspended in channels between the ductwork that runs the length of the ceiling. Suspending all MiN Spots allowed beams to bounce off the mirrored tiles, Small said.
While heat wasn’t necessarily a factor, he said, some patrons can easily reach up and touch the fixtures. “A discharge light would create heat and that would be a big issue because the lamp could burn them,” he said. Because the MiN Spots are fitted with LEDs, heat and potential burns are a non-issue.
“I’ve been aware of Chauvet for quite some time, but it was the MiN Spots that were exciting to me,” he added. “I think they look good; they are small, lightweight and fit well into nooks and crannies,” The Vue VI LED moonflower effect lights intermingle with the MiN Spots and splash the floor with red, green and blue colored dotted patterns.
The entryway leads to the first of two bars that features a life-size marble bust of one of the club owners. The adjacent seating area features modern couches and cocktail tables with built-in gold-colored champagne chillers. Flush-mounted MiN Spots sweep the room with red, green and blue gobo effects.
What could have been just a hallway between the two bar areas was converted into more seating. Couches create private and cozy conversation areas along one wall. On the opposite wall, covered in fleur-de-lis motifs, several pairs of Louis XV chairs upholstered in silk leopard print await patrons.
The second bar has its own intimate seating area. The focal point is a floor-to-ceiling glass panel containing an etched passage by the 18th century French writer Marquis De Sade. More channel-mounted MiN Spots and Vue VIs saturate the floor and furniture with color.
Also in this area is an elevated DJ booth where DJs mix electro pop and rock sounds for the crowds. While there is no dance floor per se, Rowe noted that “people dance throughout the entire lounge.”
Small said he likes the sleek MiN Spot fixtures so much that he ordered two dozen more for another Opium Group nightclub. The switch from incandescent to LED lighting is also due to cost effectiveness and to management’s adoption of a green energy policy.
For more information, please visit www.chauvetlighting.com.
