THE MAKINGS OF A REBEL
Cherin Tan, Co-founder of Laank talks about her latest F&B project, Rebel Rebel Wine Bar.
Regarded as a dynamo who walks the path more contrary, Cherin Tan’s passion for design manifests in her love for quirky details and boldness in turning norms around on its head. Such penchant for uncovering the paths less trodden bode well for F&B establishments looking to tell their unique stories and to engage with the right customers.
Recently named as the Emerging ID Firm of the Year at Design Excellence Awards 2020, Laank formed a natural alignment with Rebel Rebel and its design brief. Rebel Rebel is a bar that focuses on natural wines, which are pesticide-, chemical- and additive-free, produced by natural vinification as opposed to more commercialised methods of wine making.
How does your design philosophy align with the Rebel Rebel brand positioning?
“Rebel Rebel is a lot about bringing a new experience to the wine community. Our design philosophy is about pushing boundaries, trying to challenge norms and recreate, but always coming back to functionality and feasibility. Being a ‘rebel’ is definitely something we can identify with but we don’t rebel without a reason. Being rebellious is not simply about being new or about being different; it’s doing so for a cause while staying true to what your beliefs are.
“To translate that sense of rebellion into the space, we did away with the typical bar set-up and added an element of surprise by bringing a cave component into the space. Inspired by underground wine cellars, we designed a humongous cave wall that became part of the ceiling and inserted singular shelves, that held standalone bottles.
The arrangement of bottles is more freeform and freespirited as compared to neatly stacked shelves in your usual cellars.
“We also did away with a feature wall and other fancier elements, choosing to focus on photographs instead. The client has a collection of photos of personalities he considers “rebels in the wine industry” and images of celebrities you’d never expect to be drinking wine. His collection injects a nice touch of personality to the space, giving it more character.”
What are the experiential highlights of the bar?
“We chose to focus on a single design element, so the cave takes centre stage. The moment you enter, you get transported into a cave; that experience itself is quite unusual.
“We also did away with all the typical impressions of what a wine bar would look like. Take for example, the facade of the bar is green, because to us, green is the colour of rebellion. For furniture we intentionally chose plush armchairs instead of conventional bar stools.”