The Next Whisky Bar.
The famed (and infamous) Watergate Hotel has long called to mind modern architecture, a swanky Washington clientele—and a deliciously scandalous past. A comprehensive $125 million renovation in 2016 brought this 1960s icon designed by Luigi Moretti into the 21st century, lauding its mid-century roots while enhancing it with a fresh layer of bold, sophisticated innovation.
Reimagined by architect and designer Ron Arad in collaboration with Italian furniture-maker Moroso, the hotel’s refurbished public spaces include the lobby, the Kingbird restaurant and The Next Whisky Bar—so dubbed for a song by rock legend Jim Morrison. In this glamorous space, an undulating wall of custom whisky bottles is back-lit to produce a bronze glow; the labels are sculpted and stamped out of metal. Here guests quaff cocktails while seated on Arad’s sculptural Size Ten armchairs, designed for Moroso and upholstered in red. 2650 Virginia Avenue, NW; thewatergatehotel.com
Renovation Architecture & Design: Ron Arad, Ron Arad Architects, London, England. Developer: Euro Capital Properties, New York, New York.