An inescapable dilemma of cocktail choice greets the customer at its namesake, Catch-22, a cocktail lounge bar in downtown Shanghai. Developing upon this namesake, Shanghai studio MASS have imagined this dilemma of choice into the interior concept creating a series of retro-inspired spaces to imbibe and while away the evening.

Glass bricks on the façade glow in the evening revealing silhouettes inside

▼轴测，axonometric

The clients’ brief was to create a welcoming space where customers would feel at home. Running with this brief, MASS designed the interior to be reminiscent of a domestic abode creating foyer entrances, a low seated kitchen bar, adjoining dining room and a lounge room with a fireplace.  Inspired by the intimacy of Japanese bars and 1980s aesthetics along with the signature clarity of approach of MASS, the interior is shaped by bold mosaic volumes that define different areas of the lounge bar.

▼醒目的马赛克墙壁塑造了室内空间

Bold mosaic walls and volumes shape the interior space

Catch-22 was purposefully designed as a standalone bar that could be situated anywhere in the city despite its retail tenancy envelope. Located in a mall in downtown Shanghai with both a street-facing entrance and an entrance off the mall’s internal courtyard, it was important that customers felt like they were disappearing into the night as soon as they passed the front door.

Mirrored stainless steel volumes on the lounge ceiling allow for clandestine views to other tables