Liberty Collective

Liberty Collective is a beach volleyball mecca in the suburbs just outside Cincinnati, Ohio, with a food hall big enough to hold the whole crowd. Two levels, three bars, six food vendors and a 30-foot-wide LED screen. It was a ground-up build. We came on about three months after kickoff and led the space planning and the interior design.

The look is modern with an industrial backbone. We wrapped walls in shou sugi ban, the Japanese technique of charring wood until it turns black, and stacked breeze blocks for texture and depth. A room built for that many people can go cold and hard fast, so we softened it with arches. We kept them metal, though, so they tie back into the steelwork running through the whole building.

Out on the floor it's black, white, gray and wood, and we wanted that main space to feel welcoming to a wide range of ages. The bathrooms were the exception. We made them louder and more lively on purpose, with green and pink themes throughout, so walking in feels like a real departure from the rest of the space.