Thursdays at Poppy's is about to be a thing.
Taking over the former STK space on La Cienega, H.Wood Group is giving L.A. a new club — think of it as a Bootsy Bellows 2.0.
"We all grew up here and see the trends," says L.A. native John Terzian, who co-owns H.Wood Group with Brian Toll. "Even though there are other great clubs in L.A., there's a need to get to the next level of decor and design."
A-listers Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Elon Musk, Jessica Alba, as well as young Hollywood Hadids, Kardashians and Jenners, and music royalty Justin Beiber, Kanye West, French Montana and Drake are already fans of their existing six venues throughout the city.
What makes Poppy stand out from the rest? "The concept is like a stream of consciousness in a dream sequence," inspired by a fashion billboard, says Terzian, noting that fashion designer Alessandro Michele's rich Gucci wonderland of flora and fauna was an inspiration.
"It's a fashion-oriented concept," says designer John Sofio, who has worked with the group on their various projects. The space has a residential feel — as if you're at a Hollywood house party in an old mansion, Terzian adds.
An atrium is filled with plants and the back wall covered in poppies — natch — with a (millennial) pink-and-white marble checkerboard floor. For the "library room," Sofio and his team sourced 2,500 books arranged among collected vintage objects. There are ornate booths throughout the space — even a booth within the DJ booth. And the VIP bar off the side of the atrium has its own entrance.
Bottle service will be on demand, and delivered with fantastical Alice-in-Wonderland-esque add-ons: bottles disguised as swans, covered in roses and paper insects, or delivered via mermaid inside an oversized half shell.
On the subject of L.A. as the new nightlife mecca, Terzian says, "I may be biased, but it used to be in Europe, then New York and Miami, but I really think everyone has moved to L.A."
Poppy officially opens Thursday, Aug. 24, and has already been booked for a private VIP party over the weekend: Jeremy Scott and UGG will host their collaboration kickoff with a star-studded soiree on Sunday night following the MTV VMAs with show host Katy Perry (a longtime H.Wood Group groupie), among others.