Eight years on from a renovation that also included Martin gear, owner Ulf Westerberg felt it was time to again revitalise the club and contacted Henrik Rune of interior design firm Rune Design of Denmark, the same designer he entrusted with the renovation eight years earlier.
The latest redesign, which covered the club's top floor, was comprehensive and Rune worked with Westerberg on the new look for nearly a year. "When a club or design gets to be more than five years old it is time to refresh it - there is a need to create something new for the customer," Rune commented. "At Grand Garbo we redesigned everything from the floor to the ceiling. We had to take everything into consideration otherwise we cannot create the right feeling for the club."
Rune contacted Martin Scandinavia who in turn invited Rune, Westerberg and installer Jerker Netzler to Martin's Danish headquarters for a closer look at the company's total lighting concept. Martin Scandinavia presented a vision of the club that included installation drawings and lighting designs using the latest Martin lighting products.
"The goal of the redesign was to create an interior that is international and I think we succeeded in that," Rune says. "We wanted to create an interior where everybody feels comfortable but still in a modern way so we created a lot of small environments within the club; small, cosy corners. Although you can see the dance floor from anywhere you sit, you still feel that you're in an intimate environment."
With four DJs playing their own distinctive music as well as a live band, the club attracts a wide variety of people who come from all over the Stockholm area every weekend. With the new design, everyone can find their own little spot in the club.
Grand Garbo can accommodate up to 1500 guests across two levels. Downstairs is the Greta Bar & Bistro with restaurant, live stage and two dance floors, which was redesigned two years ago. Upstairs at Garbo, where the latest redesign has taken place, is the main dance area plus small dance floor, both with DJs, serviced by three full bars.
"Our main goal with the redesign upstairs is to get guests to arrive early and leave late," Rune says. "By creating smaller environments within a larger club guests feel more comfortable, linger and stay longer."
Garbo's main dance floor includes Martin smartMAC moving heads, Mania effect lights, MX-10 scanners, Wizard Extreme effect lights, Atomic 3000 strobes with Atomic Colors scrollers, and a Martin RBG Laser 1.6 splaying multi-coloured laser beams overhead. At the smaller dance floor is a LED ceiling created with Martin LC Series LED panels which run eye-catching graphics from a Maxedia Compact media server. The LED screens are also used as a branding medium by projecting logos and ads.
Providing an atmospheric solution for the club's multiple dance spaces is Martin's Jem line of foggers and hazers. Located on the main dance floor is a Jem Hydra fog system, a fog generator that allows multiple DMX controlled output heads to be located remotely (up to 150m) for total flexibility in fog placement. A centralised pump at floor level allows for easy fluid refills.
(Jim Evans)
