Frankie

Designed by GEO_ID, Frankie is located in Galataport facing the Historic Peninsula, creating a sophisticated entertainment and socializing space. Functioning as a restaurant and club, Frankie's bold and modern design creates a diverse sensory experience for visitors throughout the day.

Galataport, a vital pedestrian-only coastline on the Bosphorus with bustling street life through a vibrant mix of shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions, has now become the famous club-restaurant Frankie’s new home. Situated across the Historic Peninsula in the heart of Istanbul, the trendy new space will take its guest on an unannounced, sophisticated entertainment journey starting from rush hours till late midnight every day of the week.

Seeking a design that is bold, modern, and performative, Kaya Demirer and Doğuş Group’s brief was to have a ‘one-stop’ destination for drinking, dining, socializing, and entertainment. And GEO_ID’s response to it turned out to be a ‘one-stop bar’; a sleek contemporary hybrid restaurant that invites visitors to connect over a multipurpose bar where they enjoy high-quality drinks, eat delicious food, and connect over music. Renowned for catering all creative levels that are necessary to bring spirit to each design, GEO_ID has been responsible for refreshing the logomark and logotype of the brand as well.

The design of Frankie started by welcoming its guest with a strikingly all-red lobby. Standing in the center of the red cube-shaped space is a Fenix sculpture by Seda Gazioglu, which is among many of GEO_ID’s hybrid collaborations with a wide array of local artists plus skilled artisans to achieve highly customized outcomes. A glimpse of what is to come, the studio played with lights revealing the identity of an enticing atmosphere where delicious ambiance and performative club hours merge into each other.

Entering the restaurant, the colors blend into a dark brown and black palette until they reach the Bosphorus view, elevating the experience. The two-story restaurant space is planned in three themes; the one-stop bar, the tables, and the outdoor upper terrace. Spatial qualities had definitive roles in design; the L-shaped plan scheme gave direction to the spatial organization centering the bar connecting two table sitting wings, while the expansive outdoor terrace’s design upstairs focused on benefiting the enviable views of the Bosphorus, Historic Peninsula, and the cruises.

The heart of the space is occupied by a series of high counters making up a dynamic bar area from where the drinks are prepared, the diners can sit, and the DJ performs. The experimental bar in black marble and the atmosphere it creates evolve as the energy rises and the tempo picks up – from a chillax happy hour space to a lively party venue throughout the night. Extending its purpose via accommodating both the performers (barmen, DJs, vocals, etc.) and the guests, the sense of theater creates a sensory journey heightened by music. The flexible design allows the corner space to host either a large dining table or a stage, according to Frankie’s evening program.

GEO_ID has introduced various accents and details throughout the interior to make it more vibrant. The brown lacquered wood panels have wooden laths in slightly different colors creating a relief-like surface and adding depth to the walls and ceilings. Artworks by Marienne Maric settle between laths and are framed with lighting fixtures creating multiple layers.

Sculptural pendants changing in size and height are used as a unifying design element to have a seamless transition between the bar and table seating spaces. Low tables and lounge seatings contribute to the character of the restaurant’s facing an elegant, illuminating wine cellar. Late hours also bring in new colors with lighting design.

The high and low table layout segmenting the bar continues on the upper terrace level, with lighter colors, materials, and textures radiating a summer sensation. Vertical gardens framed like artworks cover up the walls together with mirror panels reflecting the view and the sunlight. The seatings upholstered in shades of dark green match the biophilic accents of the terrace design. the raised seating in the corner area with the timber-clad walls and floor affords diners an elevated dining experience and an overview of the entire restaurant and the Historic Peninsula.