Katie Lockwood, general manger of new nightspot Lumen, smiled as she recalled a recent evening at the West Loop lounge.
It was just after 2 a.m. and as the crowd flowed out of the illuminated front door and into the night, Lockwood was struck by an interesting image.
“Guys in their Maseratis went one way and guys got on their skateboards and went the other way,” Lockwood said, a bit of pride in her tone. “That is Lumen; that’s what we want.”
It’s a great concept, especially when you consider that trendy clubs come and go in Chicago as frequently as the Clark Street bus during the morning rush. But the owners of Lumen — Jason Freiman, Peter Gogarty and Nick Podesta — have seen the light (Lumen, by the way, is Latin for “light”). The trio wanted their first foray into the city’s sometimes fickle nightlife scene to be all encompassing, drawing no particular crowd to the eco-friendly lounge, which is located in the heart of the Fulton Market warehouse district.
Take last Saturday. A private fundraising event earlier in the evening hosted by the Chicago Professionals for Youth morphed into an atypical night on the town after midnight once the usual night crawlers filled the 5,000-square-foot lounge. Stylish suits rubbed shoulders with blue jeans, leather jackets and T-shirts. Stiletto heels mingled with sneakers.
And nobody looked out of place under the glow of the subtle overhead LED lighting.
“It’s not ultra-trendy,” remarked Nora O’Donnell, a 27-year-old volunteer tutor who resides on the North Side. “I know I can come here and not be intimidated by the clientele.”
Lumen may not appear to be “ultra-trendy,” but the clientele wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t ultra-inviting in its ultra-simplicity.
The space once housed one of the many meatpacking factories in the area, but you wouldn’t know it if you weren’t familiar with the neighborhood. You might even miss the place if it wasn’t for the line that forms after midnight on weekends just outside the soft glow of the front door. Lumen’s sleek, eco-friendly design is heavy on openness, a smooth marriage of concrete, stainless steel and bamboo.
A stainless-steel bar covers the club’s mirrored rear wall, with the deejay booth spreading the length of another wall just to the left of the bar. In the middle of the room, ever-changing ceiling lights (remember the “Lite Brite” game your sister used to have?) shine on an area of low-slung couches and chairs flanked by even lower tables. Off to the side, behind a rectangular video screen, sits what could best be described as king-size beds, which are comfortable for group seating.
“It’s clean and pristine,” said Chris Conlu, 30, who hosted last Saturday’s party for the Chicago Professionals for Youth. “It’s not over-the-top fancy.”
There are other subtleties. Cocktails are made with ingredients such as organic vodka. The music never is too loud that you can’t converse with the person standing or sitting next to you. And, for now, Lumen doesn’t have a cover charge (we’ll see how long that lasts) nor does the lounge have a VIP area. “People are stunned that you can actually sit at a table,” Lockwood said. “Hey, if you want to sit at a table, sit!”
It’s all part of Lumen’s charm.
“We’re trying to be as non-evasive as we can be,” Lockwood said. “We’re trying to be nicer without being intimidating in any way. Hopefully, people will appreciate it.”
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Lumen
839 W. Fulton Market; 312-733-2222, lumen-chicago.com
Hours: 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Wed.-Fri.; 8 p.m.-3 a.m. Sat.
The buzz: This eco-friendly lounge boasts a sleek design while serving mixed drinks ($7-$10) made out of fresh ingredients, including the Snow Queen martini (organic vodka, organic cucumber, ginger and fresh lemon juice). An ever-changing array of LED lights shine on the main seating area, which features low-slung seating. For the high-end crowd, glasses of champagne range from $8 to $50 and bottles from $24 to $1,900.
Terry’s tip: With no cover charge and a capacity of just 200, the place tends to get crowded on weekends. You might want to drop by before 11 p.m. to insure a seat. Also, street parking is easier earlier in the evening, though valet parking is an option for the post-midnight crowd.
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tarmour@tribune.com
