Kona Brewing at Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
One of the best parts of this job is about building spaces that people crave to be in. As in this case with the total space rebrand of Milwaukee’s old Leinenkugel bar to Kona Brewing’s Big Wave cabana.
Working with established brands is a great opportunity to push the envelope of design while still keeping the space recognizable and approachable. Kona Brewing is a brand that is deeply rooted in its Hawaiian culture with a robust brand book that emphasizes native, natural materials, bright tropical colors, and relaxing vibes.
From there, it’s a matter of balancing the needs of the space, the client, and the eventual patrons (while staying in budget, of course).
For a space like this, there had to be some compromises on material in order to fit into our price point (the stone wall is not real lava rock, but simply painted to look so).
But finding places to save money, opened us up to true innovation and creating memorable design moments. Custom branded surfboards and beachy murals for Instagrammable moments invite people to sip, stay, and remember the time they went to Hawaii in the heart of Milwaukee.