Pawnshop Lounge WPB mainroom
BIO
Kurt VanNostrand began his professional career designing, building and operating his own hair salon in the summer haven of Rehoboth Beach, while living in the Metropolitan DC area in the early 1990’s. After a successful run he relocated to NYC and began working for such heavy hitters as Ian Schrager and Andre Balazs. Design being the forefront in these establishments, by Christian Liaigre and Philippe Starck, Kurt was inspired by these unique styles and decided to head south to Miami to continue his career path. He landed his first gig for the highly successful Restaurant/ lounge B.E.D. in Miami Beach, to which he helped design key operational aspects and then took over as General Manager. Next Kurt conceptualized, project managed and then operated The Pawnshop Lounge. Being labeled as “the” place that revitalized the downtown nightlife scene, The Pawnshop Lounge was a massive success. Pawnshop received many accolades including; National Club Awards “Best Designed club 2005”, Conde Nast Traveler- “Hot List 2005”, DJ Magazine - “rated #9 club in the world 2006” and E entertainment television- rated #20 club in the US 2005. Wanting to be back in his home town of Washington DC, Kurt continued his creative passion as design carpenter on HGTV’s high rated show “Get it Sold” hosted by renowned Designer and HGTV personality Sabrina Soto. After the shows run and working independently for other design shows on HGTV, Discovery Channel and TLC, Kurt moved back to Miami. His next project was re-conceptualizing Vince Neil’s Dr. Feelgoods in West Palm Beach. The new Pawnshop Lounge Concept kept key elements from the original Miami location, but added new ones as well, to create an instant hot spot. Heading again to Miami Beach, Kurt’s next project was building out a unique restaurant and whiskey bar called Commonwealth. Totally flipping the script on traditional South beach establishments, Kurt’s point of view brought the feel of the European past, tied in with organic based design elements, to create the most anticipated whiskey bar openings in Miami. The historic Dorsey building on the swanky Las Olas Blvd in Ft Lauderdale became Kurt's latest project, named The Hideaway. Taking cues from a turn of the century factory and mid-century details, Kurt’s passion and creative eye brought this one of a kind hospitality establishment to life. Currently Kurt has setup shop again in the Metropolitan DC area working on several design/build projects and operating a unique antique and collectibles business Neatoville Eclectic Finds
Commonwealth Miami main bar
