Venus, our sister planet, shares striking similarities to the one we call home: both are rocky planets with comparable orbits, and both shine as beacons in the night sky. Yet Venus is also extreme – its atmosphere is the densest in the solar system, a suffocating mix of carbon dioxide cloaked by sulfuric acid clouds. While inhospitable to life as we know it, Adam Sokol Architecture Practice, or asap/, has found a way to channel its otherworldly aura into an earthly setting with the Venus Lounge.
Located on the 55th floor of one of Beijing’s tallest residential towers in the Jianguomen/CBD district, the Venus Lounge transforms just 250 square feet into an entertainment and gathering space unlike any other. Commissioned to reimagine an existing interior, the project’s goal was to craft a landscape so unfamiliar that it challenges expectations, sparking new forms of social interaction and unexpected outcomes.
The centerpiece is a striking 16-foot-wide photogravure of Venus by artist Paul Taylor of Renaissance Press, executed using a nineteenth-century copper printmaking technique rarely seen at this scale. Believed to be the largest of its kind ever produced, and its sheer presence dominates the lounge.
Inspired by the principles of astronomy and physics, the space plays with perception and gravity. White arches, pitched at slight angles, frame the room with a deliberate sense of imbalance, encouraging visitors to feel the same lightness and disorientation one might imagine in space. From the entrance, guests are greeted with a flash of cherry red that flows into a sculptural conversation pit. Upholstered in rippling, organic curves by Stitch NYC, the seating evokes lava flows or planetary terrain, a contemporary take on retro space-age design.
The undulating layout not only adds to the room’s celestial aesthetic but also maximizes seating configurations. By avoiding static arrangements, the design fosters both intimate exchanges and larger social gatherings – whether for casual lounging, private events, or film screenings.
Even as scientists in 2024 discovered signs of recent lava flows on Venus – evidence that the planet remains active – here on Earth, the Venus Lounge serves as a reminder of our own restless, searching nature. It’s a space that celebrates community and connection, while hinting at the possibility of how we might gather on other worlds.
Founder and principal Adam Sokol of asap/ had the opportunity to study with renowned historian and curator Barry Bergdoll, and theorist and critic Kenneth Frampton at his time at Yale. This historical perspective offers a more holistic and informed view of the principles of design, which shows through in his body of work. A native New Yorker, his unique insight into the systems that maintain the momentum of design carries with him to Los Angeles, where his studio is based. There are throughlines of good design, past and present – asap/ reminds us of those timeless fundamentals.
To learn more about the Venus Lounge by asap/, please visit asap.pro.
Photography by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.
