Brew Appeal

Whether you love a good brew, lively ambience or great company, there are plenty of reasons to experience Kolkata’s newest haunt — Refinery 091 — designed by Nexus Design Integrated. From large volumes to an energetic designscape and interesting decor details, it’s a perfect immersive experience for happy hours and precious weekends.

- Carol Ferrao

In a world that is on the constant lookout for new experiences and where weekends are as sacred as Sabbath one was, it’s safe to say that nightlife is serious business. In this light, imagine the weight of expectations on design professionals. For principal architects Devesh Bhatia, Pratyay Chakrabarti of New Delhi-based Nexus Design Integrated, the stakes were higher because they set out to design a new pub in a location known for its thriving nightlife, for a first-time client with big aspirations.

That Refinery 091 at Sector 5 of Salt Lake City in Kolkata had to be markedly different from its neighbours in its vibe was an easy consensus between the architects and the client. “In (our) discussions, the word ‘refined’ was used numerous times in terms of quality of food, drinks ambience and music,” point out the architects. They added the international dialling code of India (91) to the branding to prominently indicate that this is an “out and out Indian space”.