Dive is a cocktail bar designed by Golem in the basement of a building in London's Marylebone district. The venue is organised into two distinct areas, with a brighter bar positioned near the entrance and a more intimate lounge located on the lower level.
Red velvet covers much of the interior, including walls, floors, seating, and booths, creating a tactile environment intended to evolve through everyday use. Curved forms, reflective surfaces, and convex mirrors define the upper bar area, where glossy finishes introduce contrast to the soft upholstery.
A dark corridor connects the main bar to the lounge, which is arranged around a series of structural arches. Built-in benches and movable cushions allow the seating layouts to be adjusted for different group sizes and social settings. One arch contains a carpet-lined room with a U-shaped configuration designed for lounging and gatherings.
The space also functions as a listening room, featuring a dedicated DJ booth and custom shelving for a vinyl collection. Non-gendered bathrooms sit at the centre of the plan behind a one-way mirror.
Velvet Cocktail Bars
Dive Occupies a Two-Level Basement Space in Marylebone
Trend Themes
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Tactile Hospitality Interiors — Material-rich environments that age through use create differentiated guest experiences for venues seeking deeper sensory identity beyond visual design.
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Hybrid Listening Lounges — Cocktail bars with DJ booths, vinyl libraries, and intimate acoustic zones signal a shift toward nightlife concepts built around curated sound and social immersion.
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Adaptive Social Seating — Flexible benches, movable cushions, and modular lounge layouts reveal potential for hospitality spaces that accommodate changing group dynamics throughout the night.
Industry Implications
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Hospitality Design — Basement venues with layered lighting, curved forms, and immersive finishes expand the role of interior design as a core driver of destination value.
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Nightlife Entertainment — Music-centered bar formats blend drinking, lounging, and listening into compact cultural hubs that compete with traditional clubs and restaurants.
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Commercial Real Estate — Underused below-grade spaces gain new relevance when transformed into atmospheric, multi-zone venues with strong experiential appeal.