Seeing red and building heat

HERE’S where Rande Gerber’s art lies: He knows how to create a mood.

The Stone Rose Lounge at L.A.’s Hotel Sofitel is all about atmosphere and plenty of it. Gerber, the inventive barkeeper who gave us the white-hot Skybar at the Mondrian and the rock ‘n’ roll hang Whiskey Bar at the Sunset Marquis, went way red and seductive for Stone Rose.

It radiates a warmth and fire from the moment you walk in. Created in collaboration with the interior design firm Yabu Pushelberg, the 5,000-square-foot space is awash in ruby reds, burnt oranges, rosewood and leather, alongside stone tables and plush settees. The feeling is at once comfortable and classic.

“I wanted to create a lounge that was contemporary, elegant and sophisticated without losing the intimate and seductive feel my places are known for,” says Gerber, whose L.A. holdings also include Whiskey Blue at the W in Westwood. “It was important that my guests feel comfortable coming in for drinks after work as well as late night, when the energy and the action pick up.”

And he did it at the Sofitel. Surely he had his work cut out for him. Before its $40-million renovation in 2006, the Sofitel, across from the Beverly Center, looked and felt like a Patrick Nagel painting -- and not in a good way. There was too much neon, too many blues and pinks. It was all somehow too ‘80s.

With a renovation that included a smart update on its rooms and design, the hotel still had to shake the stigma of being mall-adjacent, as opposed to its sexier Sunset Strip competition.

Then the Sofitel tapped Gerber. And for the last eight months, the Stone Rose has steadily been building a clientele that chooses the seductive lounge over just about anything else in town.

“Stone Rose is beautiful and roomy but cozy at the same time,” says Bruce Adlhoch, an advertising executive who brings clients to the lounge. “I can put people up at the hotel, we meet for drinks at the Stone Rose and then you’ve got [the restaurant] Simon L.A. right there too. And the room is just an elevator ride away.”

And that’s really the way to experience the lounge. Spring for one of the suites so you can primp and preen before your close-up downstairs.

Unlike the lighting in many bars in L.A., Stone Rose’s is gentle but not so dim that you can’t make out who or what you’re staring at. From leggy waitresses in slinky black dresses to walls decked out with handcrafted ornamental wood, there’s plenty to ogle.

The mix of guests is diverse. The crowd is largely older, upscale professionals. Although there are plenty of vixens in their 20s and 30s, there’s an ample supply of men and women in their 40s who seem to have happily found their spot to mix and mingle.

“I’ve been back twice this week,” says Chris Gallipoli, a newly single Hollywood art director. “There are so many beautiful women here, and it’s a really easy place to talk to people.”

That’s because Gerber, by design, wanted to keep happy hour rolling all night.

“Our customers really appreciate an atmosphere that is conducive for conversation, where they can have fun with friends without being overwhelmed by loud club music,” he says.

And that’s a good point. Stone Rose isn’t a club, it’s a lounge that has all the perks of a club. The venue offers DJs Joe Greto and Matt Robinson, who mix it up Thursdays through Saturdays, entertaining rockers like Matt Sorum and Billy Duffy (two Whiskey Bar regulars from the ‘90s) with a broad mix of Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop and Ramones.

Guests can’t help but dance as they snake their way from the bar to the outdoor area, which is where you’ll find oversized beds and candlelit walls, as well as an enclosed firepit area.

“It was vital that the lobby and the lounge are complementary,” says designer Glenn Pushelberg. “It’s about making all the parts fit in a whole so that when you walk in, you feel sexy or a little mysterious in a sensual way.”

Part of its charm should be credited to Jon Beatty, the room’s general manager. Beatty, who managed the Whiskey Bar and Skybar in their heydays, works the room with grace and ease. Despite lines, lists and the general mayhem that ensues when a location has heat, his demeanor is so calm, the room seems to work itself.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” says Beatty, who grew up in L.A. and cut his teeth at bars like Jones before teaming up with Gerber. “I used to get worked up whenever things went awry, but now I know it all comes out in the wash by the end of the night.”

Just like David DeBacco, the former Nobu GM who set the tone at Geisha House and later Social Hollywood, Beatty adds just the right touch to a room that has all the right stuff.

And really, in Hollywood, that’s what it’s all about. Creating fabulous spaces with interesting people so customers have a reason to come back.

“I think this is my new home,” Gallipoli says. “I may as well get a room.”

weekend@latimes.com

*

Stone Rose Lounge

Where: 8555 Beverly Blvd., in the Hotel Sofitel

When: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily

Price: No cover; 21 and older; reservations required Fridays and Saturdays

Info: (310) 228-6677