Electric Pawn Shop

Electric Pawn Shop is a 300 sqm bar and restaurant in Dubai, conceived as an immersive environment where architecture, music, food and nightlife converge. Located at the H Hotel, the project draws from the movement, light and speed of the surrounding city, translating them into a theatrical composition of reflections, colour and raw materiality.

Inspired by the atmosphere of 1970s New York Chinatown while responding to its Dubai context, the interior combines an after-dark dining experience with the energy of underground music and counterculture. Existing conditions and traces of the former restaurant were retained and reinterpreted as part of the architectural language.

At the heart of the space, a sculptural fragmented bar formed by four concrete beams becomes the project's central element. Above it, a suspended mirrored canopy reflects structure, movement and changing light, revealing layers of steel I-beams, tension cables and exposed services. Rather than concealing the existing fabric, the design incorporates it into a deliberately raw and evolving interior.

Different floor treatments create a navigational landscape connecting the project's distinct zones: an alleyway, wagon seating, intimate couple seating, communal dining, a metallic amphitheatre, the enclosed Valentine Room and a vinyl collection. Each creates a different degree of intimacy and interaction, encouraging both social encounters and moments of retreat.

Concrete, perforated metal, glass blocks, galvanized steel, brick, mirrors and neon lighting establish a deliberately contrasting material palette. Red, purple and green light identify different areas and transform the interior throughout the night, while reflections continually alter the perception of depth and space.

Electric Pawn Shop becomes a layered urban interior—part bar, part street, part stage—reflecting the intensity and constant transformation of Dubai itself.