CORE collaborated with concert and promotions company I.M.P. on the interior design of the client’s private box suite, dressing rooms, and backstage areas at the Washington, DC music venue, The Anthem.

The private suite and balcony are suspended over stage right of The Anthem, a 6,000-person capacity venue anchoring the Wharf development in Southwest DC. CORE designed the suite with luxury finishes, including swiveling leather chairs, black textured leather upholstered wall coverings, a marble wet bar with custom designed gold and stone backsplash art piece, and comfortable bar seating on the tiered steps of the box suite. The adjacent lounge is an intimate, yet spacious area for guests, and it can be used as a spot for selected fans to meet the performing acts. The room features materials that serve as unique backdrops for photographs with fans and performers, including a brick wall using the same black, iron spot brick used elsewhere in the venue, which have been etched and gilded with ‘The Anthem’ logo. A timber plank bar table also features gilding in the rustic gouges of the reclaimed wood surface. Custom wall covering by Black Crow Studios and ambient lighting enhance the fan/performer meeting experience. In the private restroom, dark and cozy finishes are highlighted by continuous, decorative copper piping that is used for both the accessible toilet grab bars as well as paper holders, hooks, and lighting fixtures. CORE also collaborated with I.M.P. to soften and furnish The Anthem’s eight dressing rooms and backstage corridors in a complementary style to the private suite and the main theater. Both the back wall of the VIP box suite and feature walls of the primary dressing rooms are highlighted by custom painted murals from local artists No Kings Collective. CORE reselected lighting and advised on way-finding techniques throughout the Back of House, adding an off-stage restroom, improving backstage security between employee flow and performance artists, and designing custom beverage security equipment. In the backstage corridors, CORE detailed a new wainscot using steel angles and highly durable woven wall covering to protect the walls from equipment cases while giving the areas a sophisticated feel.