We recently created a unique urban oasis for the new Narwhal’s Crafted Urban Ice in mid-town St. Louis. Narwhals Crafted Urban Ice is the brain child of owners Brad Merten and Brandon Holzhueter, who were looking to create a fresh and new twist on frozen drinks.  This was a fun project for us to both design and build, and Brad and Brandon were willing to let us be as creative as we could be. The end result is a space that is completely unique, fun, inviting, and pays tribute to their vision.

The new bar, which specializes in frozen cocktails made from exclusively from fresh ingredients, features 3,000 square feet of indoor seating and a large back patio with additional seating, a pergola and 2 fire pits for cool evenings.

The focus is on the freshness of the entire experience, including the interior design. We are widely recognized as leaders in innovative and unique design for many of St. Louis’ top eateries, and we were eager to give guests a fun, memorable and absolutely exclusive experience at Narwhal’s.

Most of Narwhals’ interior features were created specifically for the bar in our own fabrication studio at our headquarters in the Grove neighborhood. The walls feature reclaimed wood panels, community tables are made from individual tree trunks supported with metal frames, and the back of the bar is home to a unique mosaic tile installation that evokes the color and pattern of an actual narwhal’s skin.

According to owner Brandon Holzhueter, “Choosing SPACE for both the design and construction of Narwhal’s was one of the most crucial – and best – decisions we made along the way. They centered on the theme of our narwhal logo and helped us create an interior that was subtly nautical, while keeping it classy and not cheesy. In other words, exactly what we wanted.  This location faced many unique challenges, and the team at SPACE deftly helped us navigate the entire process.  We couldn’t be happier with the end result.  I love seeing customers come into the bar and look around in amazement, saying ‘This is definitely not what I expected from a frozen drink bar.’”

The Riverfront Times recently praised Narwhal’s, saying, “(Narwhal’s) is a gorgeous new space, expertly designed by Space Architecture + Design to include a nautical theme that keeps the “narwhal” gimmick clever, not kitschy. There’s an almost fully enclosed patio, with a firepit that will be heaven on cool fall nights. And there are sophisticated drinks that may surprise anyone who assumes that “frozen” means “sticky sweet” — among them negronis, blackberry mint mules, bourbon slushes and prickly pear margaritas. Think of Narwhal’s as the bar version of those now-ubiquitous high-end ice cream parlors, with fresh herbs and intriguing ingredients blending in with the usual fruit.” – Sept. 24, 2016