This boisterous cocktail bar in Denver was inspired by Le Corbusier

From the team that struck the city of angels with Thunderbolt and Night on Earth comes another neighbourhood bar that is as accessible as it is design-centred and community-driven. This time, it’s Denver that welcomes the latest venture (and the first outside Los Angeles) from award-winning hospitality veterans Mike Capoferri and Rahul Marwa. Almost as a matter of habit, they enlisted Denver-based design company Wunder Werkz to conceive the interiors and branding; in the process, the local studio became co-owners of the space.

Semiprecious, Denver

Too often, a social hub forgets its ties to the area it inhabits, but for Semiprecious, that would be unthinkable. Inspired by the aperitivo culture of western Europe, the bar celebrates a convivial spirit, grounded in its surrounding culture. Once a midcentury furniture showroom, the site retains many of its distinctive architectural quirks: large canted windows and a stacked-stone façade. The mood here is playful yet restrained, nodding to the mid-century stylings of the Stork Club and other mainstays of 1950s New York drinking culture.

Despite its design-forward attitude, both the founders and the studio sought humility in construction and detailing. They took cues (and hues) from Cabanon de vacances – the tiny holiday cabin Le Corbusier designed for himself in the early 1950s in the south of France. Shades of oxblood (jasper) and cobalt (lapis lazuli) wash over furnishings and walls, while warm wooden accents temper the ebullience.

‘While the space feels incredibly design-forward and thoughtful, it is really all humble materials,’ says Jon Hartman, partner at Wunder Werkz. ‘We used a pegboard bar face, white oak, tile, paint and industrial fixtures, all readily accessible but elevated through their thoughtful application.’ The one notable exception, Hartman notes, is the bar top: a faux marble surface made entirely from post-consumer appliances, reinvented by the Good Plastic Company.

Cocktail cultures of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal inform the pared-back drinks menu, which is divided into categories such as ‘carbonated,’ ‘martini express,’ ‘sours et cetera,’ and ‘spirited,’ alongside wines, beers and ciders. There’s no theatre here; the team has stripped away the pretentiousness often associated with cocktail bars, streamlining and customising the process with tech-forward tools to deliver consistent, finely tuned drinks at speed.

‘As a neighbourhood bar, we want our bartenders to have every opportunity to provide hospitality to the guests. We’ve employed technology to remove some of the roadblocks that can take the team’s focus off the guest experience,’ explains Capoferri.

Take the Guava Sour: inspired by a classic Pisco Sour, it swaps egg white for a modified plant fibre, creating a plant-based cocktail with exceptional texture and depth of flavour. Snacks, meanwhile, are proudly unfussy and eminently pairable – from olives and almonds to a rotating cheese selection or a jamón platter. Close your eyes, and you could be in the Med.

Semiprecious is located at 2839 W 44th Ave Ste 101, Denver, CO 80211, United States.