Punch Architecture renovates Kimpton Nine Zero’s Highball Lounge

Las Vegas-based design and architecture firm Punch Architecture completed the makeover of the Highball Lounge, the on-site bar/restaurant of Boston’s Kimpton Nine Zero. The venue is now known as the Better Sorts Social Club.

Punch was specifically tasked with all the interior design and fabricated a portion of the new lounge’s furniture. The project, from conception to construction, took about 18 months for the 3,200-square-foot space. Involved in the renovation was Zak Ostrowski, one of Punch’s three partners along with Drew Gregory and Clemente Cicoria.

According to Ostrowski, the design team wanted to strike a balance between the traditional social club and its low lighting, dark wood panels and stateliness and a more modern cocktail lounge with its open, airy atmosphere, brighter lighting and contemporary furniture. They also wanted to dovetail with Nine Zero’s new aesthetic, which is modern while giving a nod to Boston’s history.

The interior materials used included American Black Walnut wood walls and flooring contrasted with burnished dark green plaster colors, Nero Marquina marble, weathered leathers, textural sea glaze green tiles, new wallpapers, antique mirrors, and new lighting throughout the space.

The custom furniture pieces are made of leathers, velvets, and jewel tone colors set off by hand-crafted walnut and ambrosia maple tables with metal and burl inlays (designed and made by Punch), resting on vintage Persian rugs. Better Sorts décor includes whimsical photos, a mix of reclaimed decorative art deco and regency objects made of handblown glass, crystal and brass.

Earlier, Kimpton and its ownership group, Brookfield Hotel Properties, worked with Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) and Korn Design for Kimpton Nine Zero. The property is located is located at 90 Tremont Street in Boston’s Ladder District, at the crossroads of Beacon Hill, the Theatre District, Downtown Crossing and the Financial District. It has 190 guestrooms and suites, living room, and 2,400 square feet of event and meeting space.

Photo credit: Mike Diskin