A sports bar with a sense of sophistication

Tartu, on the Emajõgi River, is Estonia’s second most populous city. It owes its fame to its old and renowned university, founded in 1632, which acts as the hub of the city’s life and economy. With its vibrant community of students and creatives, Tartu combines cultural amenities such as fascinating history museums with entertainment venues and locations that are open to the public 24 hours a day. The Lucky Loore Luxury&Sport bar, designed by Kristi Prinzmann and Anne Määrmann from the practice dokointerior, fits in perfectly with these lively surroundings. Located in a shopping centre in the heart of Tartu, the bar is highly original in terms of its concept. “It’s a place where you can play billiards, darts and poker professionally or simply meet up with friends and watch sports events on a big screen. It fulfils the client’s desire for a new kind of space tailored to a more sophisticated target of games and sports enthusiasts,” explains Kristi Prinzmann. The venue is divided into four areas, each with their own distinctive character: a sports bar with large screens, a billiards area, a darts hall and a VIP room with its own bar, poker table and lounge area, which can be separated from the rest of Lucky Loore for private events. “We didn’t want to recreate the typical male-dominated sports bar atmosphere. We wanted the space to be inclusive and open to everyone at all times of the day: men, women and children, morning, lunch and evening,” explains the architect. This led to the idea of adopting a more refined interior design that would fit in with the sporting atmosphere. “The bar was named after the owner’s two dogs, which have become its mascots and are depicted in some of the furnishing elements as well as in the elegant graphics of the Lucky Loore logo,” continues the architect. As for the flooring, “we chose three different materials and opted for diagonal cuts to create a more dynamic effect”, explains Prinzmann. Porcelain tiles were chosen for the main entrance area and for the bar due to their ease of cleaning and maintenance. In particular, the architects opted for the terrazzo-inspired Shards collection from Fondovalle in the Large Black version and a 120×120 cm size due to its fresh, modern design. The same collection was also used for the walls to create a sensation of greater fluidity. A sea blue coloured carpet was chosen for the billiards area to create a soft atmosphere for the players and to improve the acoustics. “The result is exciting, welcoming and at the same time respectful. As two women who are not particularly interested in sport, the hardest but also the most fun part for us was getting into the right mindset to design a sports bar. We didn’t want to replicate the stereotype but to create a place we too would like to go to. We were also worried that the image of a dog in the logo would make Lucky Loore look like a pet shop. Fortunately, we were able to overcome both of these fears,” concludes Kristi Prinzmann.