At Bar Bon Funk in Singapore, Music, Materials and Design are a Team Sport.

Nice Projects is back on our pages, this time with a cocktail bar with serious design credentials in Singapore’s New Bahru district. Bar Bon Funk is not your average drinking spot. The 110-square-metre venue offers an immersive experience where seasonal cocktails meet exceptional audio and thoughtful spatial zoning.

“Our brief was to create a warm living room setting,” explains Sacha Leong, co-founder of Nice Projects. The studio’s response delivers exactly that—a rich colour palette complementing timber-lined walls and concrete flooring, creating a space that feels simultaneously sophisticated and inviting.

The interior is divided into three distinct zones, each with its own character yet forming a cohesive whole when opened up. The first zone welcomes with a painted breeze block bar topped with yellow marble, while vintage speakers built directly into the bar play curated tunes from Bali’s Peel Records.

The second area shifts gear into a relaxed dining space, where red linoleum-topped tables pair beautifully with classic Thonet tubular metal chairs. A striped curtain backdrop frames playful artwork by Indonesian artist Riz Riz Rizz, adding just the right amount of visual intrigue.

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For those seeking privacy, the third zone offers an intimate dining room and lounge featuring a bespoke timber table seating ten. Here, Berlin-based H.A.N.D.HiFi custom speakers integrate seamlessly into the cream lacquered waiter station, continuing the sonic theme that runs through the project.

“We have created three zones for maximum flexibility,” notes Simone McEwan, Nice Projects’ other co-founder. “Each space has its own vibe and offers a different experience.” The material palette throughout creates an almost tactile warmth—handmade patterned encaustic tiles feature as a signature element, while selected design pieces include Hardie Bar stools by Philippe Malouin, linear pendant lights by Hem, vintage Lammhults armchairs, while table lights and floor lamps are by Flos and Atelier Artiforte respectively.

Bar Bon Funk is another fine example of thoughtful hospitality design by the team serious about creating special environments that are light-hearted with big personalities. The design offers a perfect balance of atmosphere, functionality and sensory pleasure. It’s a space that understands what contemporary cocktail culture should feel like—relaxed yet refined, with music and materials working as a team.

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[Images courtesy of Nice Projects. Photography by Lisa Cohen.]