RADAR / SCENE
RAISING the BAR QUEENS ELEVEN
THE INSIDER
“How do we take a space with not much going for it and turn it into something special?” That was the question facing Fiona Arnold and Jeffrey Knott—owners of Denver’s Blue Sparrow Coffee and the cocktail lounge Room for Milly—when they set about transforming a dark and uninviting space on the ground floor of the RiNo development The Hub into a buzzworthy new cafe and bar. Their response: “By viewing all of those shortcomings as strengths,” says Knott, who collaborated with Arnold and designer Tamra Holton to develop Queens Eleven’s moodychic decor. Behind the room’s walnut-topped bar, a vibrant mural by Valencian street-art duo PichiAvo blends graffiti with classical art, setting the stage for the rest of the space where traditional touches—vintage leather sofas, a sparkling chandelier—mingle with more daring design elements, most notably Denver photographer Kristen Hatgi Sink’s avantgarde takes on traditional portraiture. A tall banquette upholstered in rich dusk-blue velvet offers the best seats in the house. “If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a go-to neighborhood bar,” Knott says, “this would be where they would sit.” Like those royal disruptors, Queens Eleven is refreshingly deviant. “So often, I walk into a coffee shop, bar or restaurant and can immediately feel what was value-engineered out of the place,” Knott says. “But thoughtful, intentional spaces are the cornerstone of what we do. Warm spaces, warm service—we want to make people happy.” queenseleven.com
MIKHAIL DANTES
For veteran interior designer Mikhail Dantes, opening a new showroom at the Denver Design District was like stepping into a comfy new pair of shoes. Dantes, in partnership with his brother, Ron, launched Denver design firm D+D Interiors more than 30 years ago and also co-owned the cutting-edge furniture showroom Town for 14 years before departing to start a to-the-trade business devoted to bringing fresh design talent to Colorado and the surrounding states. Here, he introduces Luxe to MOD Design. mod.design
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Will you share a few highlights? Chuck Moffit does limited-edition furnishings in bronze and steel that are really special and unique. You throw one of his pieces into your setting and it elevates the whole design. Fromental’s handdone wallcoverings can be bold or subtle, but they’re always amazing. And Joseph Pagano, of the lighting brand Joseph Pagano Studios, hand-blows his own glass, manufactures his own fittings and finishes everything in his shop, and you can see the meticulous way in which everything is put together. These vendors are so proud of what they produce—and happy to have a showroom like mine, where they can sell what they love to make.
the insider photo: mikhail dantes. raising the bar photos: josh perez.
MOD’s modern-leaning inventory includes furnishings, fabrics, wallcoverings, lighting, rugs, accessories and even fine art. What drew you to the collections you represent? Designers are always looking for the new best thing, and I wanted to bring in smaller boutique lines helmed by people with some kind of design background or furniture-making history. A lot come from established furniture-making families. Kimberly Denman and her husband previously owned antiques shops and the influence of that is evident in their collection. Many of our other furniture and lighting lines were launched by former interior designers. You can see the passion that goes into their work.
WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE DEORIO