Ipanema | Brazilian-Inspired Hospitality Design by Bolt Builds

Ipanema, located in Midtown Manhattan, is a hospitality project that redefines the Brazilian dining experience through a modern New York lens. Bolt Builds, a design, build, and custom fabrication studio based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, oversaw every phase of this project, from schematic design and renderings to fabrication, finishing, and installation, ensuring a cohesive vision at every stage.

The process began with Bolt’s design team developing a mood board that encapsulates the brand identity and a flow analysis of the way guests and staff will move through the space. After that, detailed models and photorealistic renderings are created, allowing the client to preview how the space would come alive through lighting, material choices, and architectural flow. These designs moved seamlessly into production at Bolt’s in-house fabrication facility, where the team prototyped unconventional millwork and tested new fabrication methods before moving into full-scale production.

Custom-built elements that define the restaurant’s identity include CNC-milled woodwork, woven rope ceilings, patterned terrazzo flooring, brass inlays, and bespoke lighting fixtures. Because design, prototyping, and fabrication all happened under one roof, the transition from concept to construction was both efficient and precise, eliminating the gaps that often occur between designers and contractors.

The result of Ipanema is an interior that feels immersive, rhythmic, and distinctly Brazilian, yet rooted in Manhattan’s modern energy. By uniting design, fabrication, and construction under one roof, Bolt Builds delivered a hospitality project that embodies a sensory paradise while evoking the fluid beauty of the Amazon River.