2025 brought a wide range of projects across the hospitality and commercial world.

Each project was shaped with the same intention and collaboration that define our work. With our integrated design and fabrication process, we were able to move quickly and keep every detail aligned. As we look back, we’re excited to highlight three standout projects that helped make this year one of our most dynamic yet.



We’re opening our 2025 year-end recap with Mazarine, a new restaurant in Mayfair, London, created for Mandarin Oriental Hotels. We conceptualized and designed the space alongside RedPuzzle Hospitality and it was brought to life by OPUS Interiors. Shaped by soft curves, layered lighting, and an elevated material palette—the interior avoids literal references, instead focusing on atmosphere and spatial flow to create a calm, sculpted dining experience that feels immersive, considered, and quietly luxurious.

At Soft Bar + Café, our team shaped two defining features of the space: a custom-built arch ceiling and a monolithic, cast-in-place infinity bar. Piece by piece, the ceiling’s framing and finish work set the tone for the room, while the soft green dyed concrete bar was poured and crafted on site to achieve its seamless, sculptural form. Together, these elements anchor the café with a calm, contemporary presence that feels both immersive and effortlessly refined.

To wrap up the year, we’re highlighting a versatile fabrication project— a modular event space for Red Bull, featuring a custom steel frame and McNICHOLS perforated metal panels. Designed for high-volume venues, the installation incorporates integrated digital displays, durable pre-finished lower panels, and illuminated branding. The result is a sleek, functional structure that delivers both performance and a bold visual presence in the event space.

Beyond these features, this year was defined by a full slate of work across 

Together, these projects reflect a year of growth, range, and collaboration and set the stage for what’s ahead. We’re looking forward to carrying this momentum into 2026.

2025 was a year of diverse hospitality and commercial work, shaped through collaboration and our integrated design-build process. Each project reflects our commitment to moving ideas seamlessly from concept to completion.

Bolt Builds 2025 Recap


From raw origins to refined forms, we spotlight the materials that shape how we build, live, and experience spaces.

Glass block, made by melting silica sand, ash stone, and limestone into hollow forms, varies in color, size, and texture. It balances opacity and transparency, diffusing light and defining spatial rhythm with a sculptural, timeless presence.

In Reflect Architecture’s project for Lumea, a sweeping glass block wall anchors the entrance of the space. Diffusing light, softening acoustics, and adding a sculptural, timeless presence to the interior. Its gentle curve and translucent texture create a luminous backdrop that balances privacy with openness.


In Renzo Piano Building Workshop’s design for Maison Hermès in Tokyo, a luminous facade of glass blocks shapes the building’s distinctive character. The gridded surface captures and diffuses light, transforming the structure into a glowing beacon within the city. This material lends both structural precision and an ethereal sense of openness.

From raw origins to refined forms, we spotlight the materials that shape how we build, live, and experience spaces.



Matter of Design | Glass Blocks

Fast casual dining has exploded across New York City, reshaping neighborhoods and redefining how people eat out. With retail availability at historic lows and food and beverage tenants outpacing every other retail sector in leasing, the competition to stand out has never been greater. Great food may draw people in, but it’s thoughtful design that transforms a restaurant into a destination.

That’s where Bolt Builds steps in. By streamlining design, build, and fabrication under one roof, Bolt helps fast casual brands bring their vision to life quickly and cohesively, without sacrificing craft or creativity. But our role begins even earlier: we partner with hospitality and retail clients before a lease is even signed, analyzing potential spaces, flagging costly red tape, and helping negotiate smarter terms. This proactive approach, combined with deep research into NYC’s fast-moving hospitality market, positions each project for long-term success.


Every detail, from architectural elements to custom finishes, plays a role in creating spaces that resonate with guests and optimize the flow of business. To ensure a seamless process, Bolt provides clients with dedicated project websites offering daily updates, real-time photos, and transparent decision timelines. From permitting and approvals to fabrication and installation, the path from concept to grand opening is navigated with precision and clarity.

Consider Upside Pizza. In SoHo, Bolt crafted a warm, nostalgic pizzeria atmosphere through custom wood paneling, bold green banquettes, and soft lighting. In Greenpoint, the same signature checkered pattern was adapted with exposed brick and glass to feel both familiar and modern.

For Norm’s Pizza in Park Slope, Bolt blended retro charm with contemporary design, using glossy yellow tile, brick walls, and custom pegboard details to evoke the spirit of a neighborhood classic with a fresh edge.



Bolt also partnered with Springbone Kitchen on multiple locations, translating their philosophy of natural wellness into built environments that feel timeless and calming. Through elements like curved oak soffits, custom bar stools, and handcrafted facades, each location reflects both the brand’s identity and the unique character of its neighborhood.

The Bolt team’s mission is simple: to design and build spaces that allow restaurants to thrive. By uniting every step of the process, and supporting clients from lease signing to opening day — Bolt Builds doesn’t just create beautiful interiors, it helps brands create experiences and spaces that keep New Yorkers coming back.

Bolt Builds helps fast-casual restaurants succeed in NYC by combining design, build, and fabrication under one roof. By aligning brand vision with smart planning and thoughtful design, Bolt creates spaces that stand out and keep customers coming back.

Bolt Insights | Rise of Fast Casual 

Bolt Builds has been working with Carl Radke to bring his new project to life as a first-of-its-kind non-alcoholic bar and café focused on mindful and delicious consumption. The Summer House personality has been very candid and open about his five year long sobriety journey and is dedicated to helping others live a healthier lifestyle, which has led him to his calling of opening Soft Bar.

Carl explains “I was looking for something that feels and looks like the other cool and elevated spots, but most of those places are very limited in their non-alc options. I don't drink alcohol and I don't drink coffee, so I don't exist in New York City."

Typical NA spaces are sterile, either with no space to enjoy beverages or limited hours. With 38% of Americans who choose not to drink alcohol and many consciously shifting away from sugary mocktails, Soft Bar aims to be a space for everyone to exist. The menu will feature soft cocktails and functional drinks that naturally enhance well-being, perfect for anyone looking to sip and socialize or enjoy a drink with added benefits.

Radke’s vision includes a morning café featuring local coffee roasters, a daytime workspace/creative studio, an evening bar and an event space with fitness leaders, gatherings, and music—amplified with community and meaningful connections. Bolt’s focus is to create an all encompassing third-space that can evolve to embrace all these facets.

The 2,300 SF space in Greenpoint is a former industrial garage with exposed brick and concrete floors, which will be enhanced by an infinite bar and a glass facade. The space is designed to emphasize natural materials, calming lighting, and a cozy, mindful atmosphere. The color palette features soothing naturals, warm neutrals, and muted dark pastels. Soft wood fixtures and plush furniture offset the industrial shell, while luxurious stone accents and clean lines bring the space together.

Bolt Builds partnered with Carl Radke to bring Soft Bar to life, a non-alcoholic bar and café in Greenpoint designed as an inclusive, flexible third-space for connection, creativity, and mindful consumption.

Client Spotlight | Soft Bar 

These patterned decorative blocks made of concrete or clay became popular in the 1950s and ’60s Mid-Century Modern era. Used on walls and facades, they provide shade, airflow, privacy, and protection. All while adding stylish geometric patterns, especially suited to warmer climates.

Breeze Blocks House by Tamara Wibowo Architects uses breeze blocks as a defining feature, shaping both the exterior and interior of the home. These patterned blocks create natural ventilation and filtered light throughout the space, enhancing comfort while adding distinctive texture and privacy. The design celebrates the material’s functional beauty, seamlessly blending openness with shelter in a modern, thoughtful way.

Mar Mediterráneo 34 in Mexico City, restored by Inca Hernández Arquitectura, brings new life to a 1910 house by preserving original details like the façade and balconies. The project introduces patios with breeze blocks that allow natural light and airflow while providing privacy and texture. This thoughtful use of the material creates a perfect balance between historic charm and breathable, inviting spaces.



From raw origins to refined forms, we spotlight the materials that shape how we build, live, and experience spaces.

Insights

Read past insights

Bolt Builds 2025 Recap

Matter of Design | Glass Blocks

Bolt Insights | Rise of Fast Casual

Client Spotlight | Soft Bar

Matter of Design | Breeze Blocks