Reimagining the Cocktail Experience
When hospitality entrepreneur Josh Greenspan encountered the omakase cocktail experience during a Tokyo visit, a vision took shape: a space where every detail feels intentional – from the drinks served to the architecture of the room itself. That vision became VV's Cocktail Room.
USM Sets the Bar
Offering 18 seats in an intimate, 37-sqm space in Manhattan, the private cocktail room wants to reimagine the cocktail experience. To bring his vision to life, Greenspan partnered with USM. With the support of USM, he conceived a unique environment in which the USM Haller system serves as the architectural framework of the space. Rather than furnishing the interiors, USM defines them: extending from the bar counter to the walls, seamlessly integrated shelving and storage are tied together by Steel Blue panels, establishing a cohesive and continuous design language. The result is an environment where hospitality and architecture become inseparable.
Cocktails and Nostalgia
Greenspan describes the interiors as an exploration of "Yesterday's Future" – a world inspired by the futuristic aesthetic imagined between the 1960s and 1990s. Drawing from memories of New York alongside the visual language of Tokyo and Hong Kong, the space layers the enduring modernity of USM with a walnut counter and tables, a glass block wall, rich burgundy upholstery and atmospheric lighting to create an environment that feels simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking.
A Family Affair
Named after Greenspan’s daughter Vivienne, the project was realised with a circle of longtime collaborators, friends and family. Behind Bars Agency developed the custom bar station, while Greenspan’s father designed and built the banquette overlooking the area. Greenspan also partnered with award-winning bartender Neal Bodenheimer and longtime friend Vincent Favela to shape the omakase cocktail program, while his mother, a best-selling cookbook author, created the menu of bar snacks complementing the cocktail offerings.
Fostering Connection
The project is an equally exciting collaboration for USM. Since its introduction in the 1960s, the USM Haller system has remained fundamentally unchanged, furnishing homes, workplaces, retail environments and cultural institutions around the world. VV's Cocktail Room demonstrates how the modular system inspires solutions beyond furniture to shape architecture and interiors around connection, service and atmosphere.
If you want to purchase a USM Haller piece yourself design it now in our online configurator or find your local sales partner.
