SPINE Beirut is the winner of the ‘Best Overall Bar’ design in the world for the 2019 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, a globally recognized competition dedicated to the design of food and beverage spaces. 

The competition included 3,000 entries competing from over 70 countries. The judge panel consisted of twenty-nine of the most influential global personalities and industry leading figures working across design, architecture, hospitality and lifestyle media. Contestants gathered in Central London, where SPINE Beirut was announced winner of the grand prize (Best Overall Bar). 

SPINE is a lounge bar that offers a refined, yet vibrant experience embracing a contemporary cuisine and a social bar amidst floating light elements. The SPINE experience kicks off with a static dinner setup and progressively develops into a dynamic lounge with upbeat music and interactive lighting. 

SPINE, designed by Gregory Gatserelia, is the first rooftop bar design concept focused on the sky. The night venue was conceived on the idea of avoiding the trappings of rooftop design –walls or floor space focus- and opting instead for an upward aesthetic lighting structure that animates the night sky.

“Physically guests stop looking outward – they are so attracted by the light, that they look into each other or the light. The energy is meant to stay in the place and in the moment,” explained Gatserelia. 

The colorful lit boxes that dash like a Tetris game are the key feature of this project; giving it rhythm, and creating different moods to elevate the crowds and ambiance. 

“[With] Twenty years of experience in the F&B industry, operating leading nightlife venues in Lebanon and the UAE, I always had one vision and one goal,” said Selim Ghanem, owner of SPINE Beirut. 

“My vision was to build an iconic venue with an unorthodox design that would rise from my hometown and expand globally.”