One of the most mystifying scenes from David Lynch’s 2001 film Mulholland Drive involved an after-hours visit to Club Silencio, where a man steps on stage and speaks about the power of illusion. A decade later, the famed director would bring the cult venue to life as a nocturnal hangout spot for the Parisian cognoscenti to enjoy late-night music and cultural moments in a surreal members-only club on rue Montmartre, where gilded walls and Space Age furniture set a surreal scene. After branching out to Ibiza and across the Seine in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, founders Arnaud Frisch and Antoine Caton are recreating the energy in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, where echoes of Studio 54 still resonate.
Harry Nuriev of Crosby Studios was tasked with interiors this time, and he deftly fuses the sexy allure of Lynch’s scenography with the contemporary panache of New York City. “I wanted to continue the codes of Lynch, but with my twist,” Nuriev tells Surface, citing Twin Peaks as a key influence. The subterranean club is saturated top-to-bottom with a seductive shade of red—Lynch’s signature hue—that brings out the luster of raised private areas lined in shimmering golden panels. It’s the perfect place to knock back award-winning mixologist Remy Savage’s concoctions like a Manhattan with twists of Pernod. Prepare for programming that highlights the local scene, but the in-the-know New Yorkers already popped off there this past weekend with all-night parties hosted by Purple Magazine and Swizz Beatz, who celebrated his art collection landing at the Brooklyn Museum.
