The emphasis is on social at Pinewood Social in Nashville, Tenn. It combines a big bar program with a coffee shop, a full dining room, six bowling lanes and a large outdoor patio, sporting bocce ball courts, two dipping pools, and a 1976 Airstream trailer “food truck.”
“We treat it like a hotel without rooms,” says Benjamin Goldberg, co-owner with brother Max of Strategic Hospitality, which operates Pinegrove Social.
What was your intent with this design?
BG: We wanted to create a third space, a gathering place where people can come in at seven in the morning and have coffee, work and hold meetings, play games, eat lunch or dinner, and stay to enjoy the bar until late night.
How is the vibe of the space?
BG: We shied away from the typical dark bar atmosphere. It is open and airy, full of natural light and energy.
What are some of the decor highlights?
BG: Local craftsmen designed the lighting, furniture and tables. And local artists created a massive installation of a rotating can wall. It’s sort of a pixilating art piece, composed of 1,900 paint cans. Up close, you see each can has a different design, but from far way, the array forms large pictures, which change as the cans rotate.
Were there any design challenges?
BG: The building is recognized as nationally historic, so we had to work with those agencies to ensure that we maintained the integrity of the building, which was good because that is why we fell in love with the space in the first place.