An inviting glow welcomes guests into The Hand & The Eye, a sophisticated addition to Chicago’s new thriving magic scene. GGLD created a layered hospitality experience for this labyrinthine space inside the McCormick Mansion, re-designed by Rockwell Group founder and celebrated architect David Rockwell. The reimagined venue contains multiple performance spaces, bars, and dining rooms. Our integrated lighting design accentuates rich finishes, highlights curated artwork, and creates visual depth while maintaining a warm, intimate atmosphere.
With a total of six bars, four theaters, and two dining rooms, this venue presented ample opportunity for creative lighting solutions. We used very little downlighting throughout the hospitality spaces, curating a gentle residential feel instead, with vertical and horizontal layers of warm light encouraging guests to relax and order another round. We found ways to incorporate magic of our own by hiding the lighting from view, such as the custom-cut LED sheets and integrated linears that fit snugly inside bar shelving, ceilings, and windows. These feats of engineering result in glowing surfaces throughout, with light seeming to come mysteriously from within the objects themselves.
Each of the building’s four theaters required a fresh approach from our team. Inside the small Coliseum Theater and the Crimson Room, intimate lighting immerses audiences in the magic act du jour. In the Vault, the focus falls on the mysterious skeleton keys and vintage safety deposit boxes that wrap the room. Finally, in the larger Monarch Theater, elegantly concealed illumination assists with wayfinding and strategically draws the eye to the luxurious blue furnishings, all while integrating professional theatrical stage lighting.
Comforting and intriguing in equal measure, our design makes for a magical evening guests won’t soon forget.
