Left Hand Brewing has been a longtime pioneer of the Colorado beer scene. With opening their first tasting room in Denver’s most vibrant and gritty neighborhood, RiNo, the design of the space aimed to meet their existing brand, while bringing it into the context of the surrounding neighborhood.

The location of the new tasting room is adjacent to Mission Ballroom, a bustling music venue, which drove the program for Left Hand RiNo to not only include a full-service bar and restaurant, but also flexible and modular seating areas, a private dining room, and an expansive patio, all designed to be able to accommodate musical artists and special events.

Inspired by the movement of beer pouring out of a tap, and music traveling throughout a space, we analyzed how the concept of 'flow' could be expressed using architectural devices. Identifying anchoring forces throughout the space such as the bar, the private dining area, and the host stand, we began to express particle trajectories within an altered field. This ultimately gave us the framework for an overhead ceiling element that connected the key points of the space while expressing flow through form. In the end, this piece of the design didn’t make it into the final project due to budget, but the conceptual idea remained.

Materiality also played a key part in this design. In marrying the Left Hand brand with the context of RiNo, we used color and tone which were driven by the Left Hand brand and materials such as expanded metal, concrete look counters, and steel accents to pay homage to RiNo’s industrial past. Bright pops of color were brought into the space with artwork done both by the Left Hand team and by local street artists whoreimagined the walls of the exterior patio. In a nod to the idea of being“backstage”, heavy red velvet curtains were used on the back walls and in the private dining area to introduce additional texture and warmth, which juxtapose the surrounding industrial materials.

It was important that elements of LeftHand's story and past made it into their new space. To pay tribute to their beginnings in Longmont, CO, a 50-foot vinyl wall graphic of a replicated blac kand white photo of their stock tanks was installed near the entry of the space. A constant reminder of humble beginnings, and the story that brought them to Denver.

‍

‍