Local studio SOLUM has transformed a Milanese venue into Onda Listening Bar, a hybrid space that merges a cocktail bar with a high-fidelity listening room. The project reimagines the original layout—two front rooms and a back room—into a fluid, interconnected experience where design and acoustics harmonize.
The intervention begins with the reopening of the arches between the street-facing rooms, now clad in stainless steel to enhance physical and visual continuity. Industrial neon lamps traverse the ceiling, reinforcing the connection between the spaces. A dark wood boiserie, seamlessly blending with the microcement flooring, wraps around the perimeter, integrating benches and shelving into a cohesive whole.
At the heart of the bar area, a perforated steel counter doubles as an integrated lighting and sound-absorbing system. Its stainless steel top mirrors the curvature of the arches, bending at the edges to reveal the back bar—a polished, bent steel structure with wooden shelves displaying bottles.
A semicircular passageway leads to the listening room, echoing the arch motif, while a curved steel door opens to restrooms clad in laser-cut polycarbonate. Here, striped barcode-like cutouts diffuse light and embed mirrors, while a suspended sink rests on a metal grid, reflecting the industrial aesthetic of the dropped ceiling.
In contrast to the bar’s lower boiserie, the listening room inverts the scheme, wrapping dark wood paneling around the upper walls and ceiling to optimize acoustics. The space is deliberately sparse, anchored by a circular steel vinyl totem suspended from exposed pipes and a custom wood console on a steel pedestal, paired with vintage 1970s Altec speakers. A red neon light traces an old downspout behind the console, while low-intensity LEDs highlight the vinyl display, creating an immersive atmosphere for audiophiles.
By balancing industrial materials with warm wood tones, SOLUM has crafted a space where design enhances function— Onda Listening Bar is as much a destination for craft cocktails as it is for high-end audio appreciation.