The Dolce Group has opened a new 4,200-square-foot nightspot, Wonderland, in Hollywood with an—you guessed it—Alice in Wonderland theme (the space was planned to be named Alice until shortly before it opened). Event Eleven's Tony Schubert, the man behind the look of Dolce's Les Deux and Ketchup, designed the space, which has a capacity of about 400.
"The idea was to take my interpretation of what Alice in Wonderland would be [and make it into] nightclub form—but I really wanted to design a club for longevity, so I needed to really deal with that fine line of keeping the club really sexy [and design heavy while building in] some longevity into the look," Schubert said. "It's just a really wide open space. It flows."
In the dimly lit main lounge area, inverted mushroom-shaped sculptures create the look of whimsical chandeliers against a gold-painted faux-grass ceiling. Tilted shelving showcases the liquor selection behind the bar. An oversize armoire holds vintage decanters filled with dark liquid, and items meant to evoke the Mad Hatter, like a pocket watch and top hat. An area known casually as the living room has area rugs, oversize chairs, and end tables. A patio offers seating groups—done in electric purple fabric—and walls adorned with a collection of mismatched mirrors and other objects. A mural and textured walls are meant to channel the look of a rose garden at an estate.
Specialty cocktails include the “Rabbit Hole" (Oronoco Rum, mint, lime juice, and sugar). Wonderland also serves food, like linguine and clams with white clam sauce; and bow-tie pasta with chopped grilled chicken, garlic, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes in a white wine sauce.
