HEDONistic
“Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” Coco Chanel's statement is truly valid for Julian Tahov's interiors. Once you visit a place decorated by him, his style will certainly help you distinguish the other places he has designed. They call him “the designer of the elite class” perhaps because he creates an atmosphere of luxury, pompousness, solemnity and brave references to past ages. Please, welcome to HEDON, the new top night club on Bulgaria Boulevard in Sofia.
The God of Pleasure, Hedon, has two faces, one he shows at night and the other one – at day. Hedon has two large halls and they are both successful attempts at contrasting handling of space. They are of the same spirit, but they bring about different emotions and feelings.
The futuristic center of the main hall is emphatically set apart and thus it is hauntingly impressive. A fireplace of such an abstract shape and great size in the center of a fashionable club is truly a magnificent spectacle. The designer's main goal is to make the place cozy despite the huge volumes, the limited space and the glass front windows. The massive bar heightens the impression of unyielding luxury. Despite the great height of the halls, the ceilings are mirrored, which contributes to creating an abstract feel, a different dimension. This impression is enhanced by the illuminated floor, the mirror ceilings and the fender, which are all reflected in the mirrors on the ceiling.
The interior is rich in symbols; the fireplace is an allegory of fire and the aquarium is an allegory of water. The designer has skillfully juxtaposed the modern futuristic dimensions of the fireplacewith the elements of water and fire.
He wouldn't be Julian Tahov if he had stopped here with the provocations.
His review of previous ages seems to be an interpretation of Egyptian capitals and stripe patterns on friezes, characteristic of the Egyptian style. The stripe pattern actually extends from the friezes to the fireplace and back. This results in a brave combination of modernistic design and an echo from the ancient cultures.
The VIP hall, pompous and snobbish, is the face that the God of Pleasure shows at night. The ornaments which enhance the traditional and the classical, for example, capitals and classical paintings, are skillfully matched with the modern design of the furniture. The continuous playing with black glaze and mat frosting brings in a sense of completion and luxury. The classic black and golden combination is perfect both for night outfit and for the night atmosphere of a club. The illuminated paintings on the walls and the ceiling are replicas of famous classical paintings. The golden frames are in harmony with the atmosphere, conducive to exuberance, solemnity and festiveness. It's high time we succumbed to the powers of the God of Pleasure.