Before the re-branding, Laureate was known as a neighborhood bar, popular among locals. The intent with the new design was to preserve that feeling while elevating the interior.  The mid-century bones were updated to reveal a more sophisticated bar and lounge, with a large terrazzo fireplace at the heart of the space.  We imagined the talented and stylish writer Joan Didion as the muse.  We pictured her lounging on the sofa with cocktail in hand, sun seeping through the draperies.   This atmosphere was created to draw locals in, as if the space was an extension of their living rooms.