MORRIS AMERICAN BAR
2018 | WASHINGTON, DC
narrative | WES ANDERSON MEETS A mixed-VINTAGE DINER with feminine flair
Morris was designed as a destination for guests to try inventive cocktails while immersed in a nostalgic, pastel dreamscape, combining a curious mixture of frosty blue walls, chrome diner bar stools, mid-century furniture styles and elegant bistro-style chandeliers. We wanted people to feel gleefully transformed by Morris’ quirky playfulness and drawn into the story behind the name through artwork.
A petite 2,000 square feet on two levels, the light and airy space took on the challenge to present a foil to the the expected speak easy aesthetic with dark brown leather and lowly lit Edison lightbulbs. Instead, the space takes inspirational cues from the Wes Anderson movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, dressed in blissfully soft pastels, with a touch of mid-century bohemian whimsy.
Entering on the first floor, mixed style lounge seating offers a flexible space for both small and large parties. Chrome diner bar stools are contrasted by a backdrop of frosty blue wallpaper and eclectic furniture beckons throughout. Moving upstairs, a collection of banquettes on the mezzanine overlook the bar below, and offer the perfect spot for groups to gather and sip cocktails together. In total, the bar offers 52 seats, in addition to a year-round outdoor patio that seats 24.
A two-story chinoiserie-style mural (by local artist Nicolette Capuano) and framed pastel drawings both features iconography attributed to the bar’s namesake, Morris Sheppard, father of the 18th Amendment and prohibition, noted for saying "there's as much chance of repealing the eighteenth amendment as there is for a hummingbird to fly to Mars with the Washington Monument tied to its tail. "The first level further pays homage with two portraits of Morris and his wife by local artist Dana Ellyn.
