Hasta La Ideas

Cast-glass sconces and amber window panes radiate a soft caramel glow across Loma bar in Providence, Rhode Island, designed by New York-based Studio Becky Carter.

Loma is owned by Leishla Maldonado, who grew up in a Puerto Rican family, and brothers Osman and Yefri Cortave, who emigrated from Guatemala as children.

The trio’s vision for the compact space was to reflect their roots and provide guests with an intimate experience.

“From the beginning, the three owners of Loma knew they wanted their space to have a distinct ‘vintage Latin bar’ feel – welcoming, warm, tucked away,” said Carter.

“We embraced the 450 square footprint, amplifying the intimacy by leaning into darker, more monotone hues, the entirety wrapped in warmth,” she added.

Lighting played a key role in setting the tone, and Carter sourced a set of 1970s Italian cast glass sconces that produce dynamic shadows across the lime-washed walls.

The two street-facing windows were covered with a second pane of textured amber glass to diffuse the natural light and add to the warm radiant glow.

A custom mahogany partition separates the entrance from the rest of the bar, with rectangular cutouts offering peeks through before rounding the corner.

“Upon entering the bar, guests encounter glimpses, corner-of-the-eye moments, rays of warm glowing light, objects in the periphery,” Carter said. “Each detail reveals itself as part of the greater whole over time.”

Terracotta tiles cover the floor as an homage to Latin American interiors and also wrap cylindrical side tables for placing drinks upon.

Most of the furniture pieces and objects displayed are vintage or second-hand, selected by Carter and the Loma team together.

The remainder were custom designed by Carter and fabricated by locally based Transom Woodwork for the project, including a velvet-upholstered banquette that wraps the main seating area.

The bar itself is designed as a cosy niche wrapped in lacquered mahogany, with only four stools so that Maldonado can easily converse with guests as she prepares drinks.

Only a curated, rotating selection of liquor bottles is displayed on the back bar and a huge cube of ice is hand-chiseled for each drink.

Founded in 2016, Studio Becky Carter was shortlisted for emerging interior designer of the year at the Dezeen Awards 2023.

The firm’s other hospitality projects include Cecchi’s restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village, which pulls together references from Bauhaus luncheonettes to comedic characters.

The photography is by Joseph Kramm.

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