260 | La Casa del Tango

The presentation opens with two maps, Argentina and the Emirates, under one title: importing culture. The brief was to bring the life of an Argentinian tango bar into a multicultural city, and to fit a restaurant, a bar, a tango school and a stage into 550 m². The model was the street bar in Argentina, where the doors stay open and people dance while others watch.

The bar is the centre of the room. Its shelving curves up into a lit vault of brass-lined cells, with tango posters set behind glass. Overhead, a deep teal coffered ceiling holds mirrored discs that catch the movement below. In the dining room, columns carry embossed scrollwork between timber strap screens. Oxblood leather banquettes, brass chandeliers, street lanterns and herringbone oak complete the setting.

The stage works as a live theatre that diners can watch by turning their chairs. Embossed sliding panels close it off for private classes. Facing the mall, a dark panelled front with lanterns and screens draws passers-by in.