Can a bar be an experiential art installation? The Bonnie in Astoria may seem like another quaint watering hole from the street, but the cozy interior is the luxe vision of one of our favorite artists, Lacy Barry. Rather than merely hiring an interior designer, the boys behind the Penrose asked the Berlin-based artist to give a glimpse into her creative mind to Astorians who come to sip on decadent cocktails.

Around the wooden interior are artful surprises: Victorian aesthetics such as long brocade draperies on equally long windows & doors, full-bloomed ferns, wire bird cages, taxidermies, bell jars containing little theatrical scenes, more greenery, portraits of landscapes, elegant women and horticulture diagrams. Interior selections aside, Barry has left a surprise for cocktail sippers, hiding secret dioramas around the Bonnie for patrons to discover, and giving new meaning to the term “beer goggles”.

Who : Lacy Barry

What: The Bonnie

Where: 29-12 23rd Ave, Queens, NY 11105