Hip Replacements

Two bastions of Orlando’s Old Guard, the Citrus Club and The Bohème, join downtown’s youth movement.

The private Citrus Club atop the BB&T Bank Building and The Bohème restaurant at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando have long attracted the rich, powerful and politically connected. Maybe too long—both neighboring  downtown locations were looking a little, well, downright geriatric in the décor department. The Bohème’s gold-and-purple color scheme was au courant in 2001, but way passé a decade later, and the interior of the Citrus Club had the ambiance of a funeral home.

Instead of resting on their power-lunch laurels, the club and the restaurant have revamped their interiors, creating vibrant, contemporary spaces that better reflect the younger demographic that has moved into downtown.

The Bohème

The redo of The Bohème introduced an expansive community table designed as the social heart of the restaurant. Crafted with a top of continuous burled book-matched wood with a steel base, it seats up to 14 in tufted leather chairs.

Before

Citrus Club

The size of the club’s dining room was reduced to create a more welcoming and intimate atmosphere (the trimmed square footage was repurposed for a larger bar area, private dining/wine room and other dedicated spaces). Younging up the room’s appearance are lighter, brighter finishes and furnishings.

Crisp, white woodwork and a bold houndstooth carpet set a sophisticated stage for the contemporary furnishings in the Citrus Club’s redone reception and lobby area. The tangerine upholstery and pillows give a subtle nod to the club’s name. Architects Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker of San Diego and PVK Architects in Orlando created the new look.

Before