10,000 butterflies flutter over enchanting underground bar by ashley sutton

named ‘the iron fairies’, the mysterious interiors of this bar conjures up scenes from a fairytale book or lord of the rings. with three locations: bangkok, hong kong and tokyo, the underground den is reminiscent of a blacksmith’s workshop; reflected in the iron, timber and leather materiality and the curious decorations all across the eclectic interior.

created by designer ashley sutton, a distinctive element of the iron fairies is the ceiling enveloped with 10,000 preserved butterflies that suspend over the main ‘workshop’ room furnished with low seating and circular tables. rooms branch out to form individually designed ‘furnaces’ and ‘casting rooms’, offering private spaces for smaller groups. the element of enchantment is distilled into every detail of the bar interior, with the concept itself deriving from sutton’s days working in the underground iron-ore mines in western australia. with this, the décor follows a fantasy imagined by the designer where ore miners stumble upon little winged spirits, mixing roughly hewn wood, massive rusty cogs, rickety piping, and walls lined with vials of fairy dust.

low-rise tables are organized underneath the decorative ceiling made up of butterflies

instilling the image of an iron workshop, metal tools line the walls around the dimly lit bar

smaller and more intimate rooms open up from the furnaces

the concept came from ashley sutton’s experience from working in mines in western australia

the décor takes its cues from a fantasy where ore miners stumble upon little winged spirits

detail of the butterflies hung by rods

metal tools

vials of ‘fairy dust’ hang from the ceiling

the cocktail bar has three locations: hong kong, bangkok and tokyo

bartender shaking up cocktails amongst the suspended decoration

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