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      Luchetti Krelle fashions playful interiors for RAFI restaurant in Sydney

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      Vivid abstract paintings meet patterned floors and oversized lighting fixtures inside this restaurant in Sydney designed by local studio Luchetti Krelle.

      Celebrating the produce available on Sydney’s coastline, RAFI serves a seasonal array of seafood small plates. The restaurant’s name is an acronym for Raffaella, Aurora, Frankie and Indio – the children of owners Ben Carroll and Hamish Watts.
      Large paper lanterns dominate the interior of Sydney’s RAFI restaurantThe duo already run a number of successful dining venues across the city, all of which were designed by Luchetti Krelle.
      When called to devise the interiors for RAFI, the studio set out to create a scheme that would “ignite a child-like awe and wonder” in keeping with the restaurant’s name.
      Neon-orange cargo straps help to secure wine bottles in placeThis theme is picked up in a number of playful decor elements throughout the restaurant including a trio of huge paper lanterns and mosaic flooring.

      To one side of the dining area is an open kitchen, where a chunky red mantelpiece was built around the ovens.
      Chequered tiles give the interior a playful feelA drinks bar lies on the other side of the space, nestled beside a tall wine rack that uses neon-orange cargo straps to hold bottles in place.
      RAFI’s plan opens up to a couple of larger dining spaces – one covered in chequered tiles and another dressed with blue banquettes, colourful abstract paintings and woven-back chairs.

      Luchetti Krelle creates eclectic bar Jane inside former butcher shop

      The latter features wooden parquetry flooring arranged in concentric squares. This pattern is replicated on a set of cork doors at the rear of the space, which can be slid back to reveal an intimate private dining room.
      This area is centred by a hexagonal wooden table and a branch-like chandelier with light-up “leaves”.
      Abstract art and a branch-like chandelier feature in the private dining roomBlack box-frame windows that previously appeared throughout the restaurant were swapped for slender galvanised-steel casings, which offer better views out to the terrace.
      Here, the studio has introduced outdoor seating and “Aperol-toned” sun umbrellas, as well as a greenhouse-style dining room called The Arbor.
      Loosely inspired by childhood camping trips, this space features fold-out chairs and a canopy formed of white camouflage netting.
      More dining space is offered in a greenhouse-style structureLuchetti Krelle was established in 2008 by Rachel Luchetti and Stuart Krelle, with headquarters in Sydney’s Surry Hills neighbourhood.
      The studio recently completed another eatery in the city called Jane, which occupies a former butcher shop. Its eclectic interior draws on everything from seventies decor to french bistros and indigenous flowers.
      The photography is by Steve Woodburn.

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      Alexander & Co carves out spaces for calm and play inside Pacific House

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      Australian architecture practice Alexander & Co has overhauled this oceanside home in Sydney to make it more suitable for family life.

      Before its renovation, the five-bedroom house had a disjointed floor plan that was proving inefficient for its two young owners and their three children. Many of the rooms were also cut off from views of the garden and the ocean beyond.
      Pacific House’s kitchen is decked out with oakwood and different types of marble”[Pacific House] was substantial in structure but devoid of spirit and certainly absent of any operational utility,” said Alexander & Co’s principal architect Jeremy Bull.
      Tasked with making the home a “functional engineer of family life”, the practice decided to carve out areas for activity and play, alongside spaces with a calmer, more contemplative ambience for the adults.
      The cosy breakfast nook backs onto a curved windowAt the heart of the plan now sits an expansive kitchen. All of the cabinetry is made from warm-hued American oak, while panels of a paler European oak were laid across the ceiling.

      Jagged-edged pieces of Grigio Firma, Grigio Lana and Carrara marble were set into the kitchen floor.
      Arched doorways open onto the gardenInhabitants can eat at the central island or take a seat at the breakfast nook, which is tucked against a huge concave window.
      Its form nods to the architectural style of P&O – an offshoot of modernism that was popular in 1930s Sydney and drew on the streamlined curves of Pacific and Orient-line cruise ships.
      Neutral hues were applied throughout the formal dining areaTwo arched doors at the front of the kitchen grant access to the garden, where there’s an alfresco seating area.
      A new swimming pool was added in an excavation pit that had previously been created in the home’s driveway.

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      The rest of Pacific House’s ground floor includes a rumpus room for games, parties and recreation, plus a sophisticated dining area decked out in neutral hues.
      There’s also a spacious living area with Mario Bellini’s Camaleonda sofa for B&B Italia, which looks out across the ocean waves.
      An Afghan rug printed with abstract shapes and a couple of triangular marble coffee tables add to the more fun, graphic look that the practice sought to establish in this room.
      The living area is arranged to prioritise ocean vistasSpaces become slightly more muted on the floor above, which is accessed via an oakwood staircase.
      In the principal bedroom – which features another P&O-style curved window – walls are rendered in concrete.
      Grey terrazzo and marble was used to cover surfaces in the bathroom, clashing against the pattern of the grey mosaic flooring.
      The primary bedroom has a curved window and a greyscale en-suiteAlexander & Co has completed a number of other projects in Sydney including an Italian trattoria and most recently its own studio, which is housed in a converted Victorian-era residence.
      Formal workstations are built into the building’s basement, but the remaining residential-style floors accommodate a kitchen, living room and library where staff can brainstorm ideas.
      The photography is by Anson Smart.

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      Alexander & Co maintains residential feel inside self-designed Sydney office

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      Australian architecture practice Alexander & Co has created its own office inside a Victorian-era property in Sydney.

      Situated a stone’s throw from Bondi Beach, Alexander House acts as a “design laboratory” where Alexander & Co’s team can meet, collaborate and find space to work independently.
      Alexander & Co’s self-designed office has a double-height kitchenThe homely office occupies a semi-detached property that dates back to the Victorian period. Though the practice decided to preserve the building’s original facade, its interior was completely remodelled to function as a modern workspace.
      Staff enter the office via a ground-level vestibule with rammed-earth walls before climbing a flight of stairs to reach the open-plan living and dining area on the first floor.
      A “cafe-style” area provides seating for staffOne half of the space is dressed with an angular olive-green sofa, a glossy coffee table and a puffy grape-coloured armchair.

      The other half of the room is occupied by a double-height kitchen. At its centre is a chunky breakfast island crafted from pink-hued concrete, around which the team can congregate for meals, client catch-ups or company events.
      Construction waste was used to make furnishings in the courtyardAdditional seating is provided in a “cafe-style” area at the edge of the room, which features a custom leather seating banquette, cane chairs and a couple of tables.
      Concertina glass doors at the rear of the kitchen open up onto a courtyard. This houses a pool and an ice bath alongside a collection of mottled stools and side tables that were custom-made out of waste generated from the building’s renovation.
      A cosy library can be found on the building’s mezzanine level”Beauty can be found in the irregularities and developing patinas that have resulted from incorporating handmade and natural materials throughout our new space,” explained the practice.
      “Blemishes, cracks and connections – they are all magic and inform our storytelling through scale and detail.”

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      Directly above the ground floor is a generous mezzanine level that accommodates a cosy library space where Alexander & Co can host more intimate meetings.
      The room’s bookshelves and kidney-shaped table are crafted from walnut wood, while chocolatey leather curtains are suspended in front of the doorway.
      Visiting team members from other offices can stay over in the bedroom suiteThe narrower end of the mezzanine was turned into a quiet work area for up to five people, finished with a thickset concrete ledge for laptops.
      The upper floor of the building was made into a bright loft-esque space. Here there’s an events room and a bedroom suite, where visiting team members from other offices can stay.
      Down in the basement is the practice’s materials libraryTraditional workstations can be found down in the basement along with Alexander & Co’s materials library.
      From this level of the building, you can also access the landscaped back garden, which will be used during the summer for alfresco gatherings.
      A concrete staircase runs through all four levels of the buildingAll four levels of the building are connected by a concrete staircase with brass balustrading and a dramatic seven-metre-long pendant light dangling through its central void.
      Alexander House is one of six projects shortlisted in the small workspace interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
      Others in the running include F.Forest Office by Atelier Boter, which sits within a glass-fronted building in a Tawainese fishing village, and Samsen Atelier by Note Design Studio, which also serves as a wine bar.
      The photography is by Anson Smart.

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      Flack Studio designs Ace Hotel Sydney as a “deep homage” to Australia

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      References to the landscape and industrial heritage of Australia are woven into the Ace Hotel’s new outpost in Sydney, with interiors designed by local practice Flack Studio.

      Situated in the city’s historic Tyne House factory in Surry Hills, the 257-room Ace Hotel Sydney marks the American hotel group’s first location in the southern hemisphere.
      Ace Hotel Sydney houses a lobby, bar and lounge on the ground floorOn the ground floor, public spaces include a lobby, bar and lounge, a neighbourhood restaurant and a day-to-night cafe, while the building’s top floor is occupied by a rooftop restaurant designed by Australian interiors studio Fiona Lynch Office.
      Describing the project as a “deep homage” to Australia, Flack Studio said the interior draws on the warm neutural tones of the country’s desert landscapes and the paintings of Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira.
      The sunken lounge features brown leather sofasThe hotel has sandstone feature walls on the ground floor, a red marble staircase that stretches from the lobby to the first floor and terracotta-coloured tiles in the guest bathrooms.

      A sunken lounge on the ground floor is rendered in shades of caramel and burnt orange – reminiscent of the easygoing design favoured in Australia’s suburbs in the 1970s – while abundant planting throughout the hotel recalls the country’s lush rainforests.
      A red marble staircase leads up to the first floorFlack Studio also took cues from the work of Australian architect Robin Boyd, who proposed a functionalist and regionally grounded approach to architecture using simple forms and local materials.
      In the Ace Hotel Sydney, this can be seen in the off-form concrete walls, locally sourced timber and aged brass that reflect the utilitarian history of the building and the neighbourhood.
      Guest rooms are designed to feel cosy and residentialThe hotel’s 18-storey brick building was originally erected in 1916 to house the factory and distribution centre of chemist chain Washington H. Soul Pattinson.
      It also sits on the site where one of Australia’s oldest ceramic kilns was discovered, used by potter Jonathan Leak to produce domestic pottery as early as the 1820s.

      Luchetti Krelle creates eclectic bar Jane inside former butcher shop

      Ace Hotel Sydney’s wayfinding and signage were created by graphic design practice Studio Ongarato, incorporating elements of 70s modular design alongside bold geometric forms and textured materials.
      A sense of craftsmanship is conveyed through glazed ceramic room signage and hand-painted details on the entry signs.
      They feature custom lighting, furniture and fixturesThe hotel’s guest rooms feature custom lighting, furniture and fixtures and are designed to feel cosy and residential. Each room features a Rega turntable and a vinyl collection put together by Melbourne-based record label Efficient Space.
      Other highlights include an art collection curated by Flack Studio that showcases the works of contemporary Australian artists and a minibar stocked with goods from local producers.
      In the coming months, the hotel is also set to launch a residency programme spotlighting First Nations artists.
      Terracotta-coloured tiles line the walls in the guest bathroomsAce Hotel was founded in Seattle in 1999 and now has locations in cities including Los Angeles, New Orleans and Kyoto.
      Last August, the hotel chain opened its Brooklyn outpost, which features art in every room and a public gallery in its lobby that houses rotating exhibitions. Ace Hotel’s next location in Toronto is due to open in 2022.
      The photography is by Anson Smart and Nikki To.

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      Luchetti Krelle creates eclectic bar Jane inside former butcher shop

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      Seventies decor, French bistros and indigenous flowers are some of the references design studio Luchetti Krelle has mixed inside this bar in Sydney, Australia, which occupies a converted butcher.

      Serving local wines and small plates, Jane is meant to be the more casual counterpart to Arthur – a nearby restaurant offering only five-course tasting menus.
      The bar retains the butcher’s original facadeBoth venues are run by chef Tristan Rosier and are named after his late grandparents.
      The building now housing Jane originally served as a butcher but was subsequently reincarnated as various eateries, which made it in desperate need of a revamp, according to Luchetti Krelle.
      A cosy group seating area was created by the entranceThe studio made some minor tweaks to the building’s tiled facade, restoring the brass framework and replacing its tinted windows and door panes with clear glass to allow passersby to look inside.

      A section of the butcher’s original gold-leaf signage was also carefully preserved.
      The seating area features a marble table and vintage chandelierThe interior’s 70-square-metre footprint only allowed Luchetti Krelle to make minimal structural alterations.
      A cosy dining area fit for eight guests was created beside the entrance, featuring a curved seating booth and a Rosso Levanto marble table with a built-in Lazy Susan. Overhead dangles a vintage chandelier, its ornate design reflected in the mirror-clad walls.
      Natural red fibres were sprayed across the ceilingA banquette runs the length of the bar on the right-hand side, its backrest upholstered in caramel-coloured corduroy as a subtle tribute to the 70s-style interiors found in the former home of Rosier’s grandparents.
      The banquette is accompanied by a series of bespoke wooden tables with slanted corners so that even when the bar is busy and guests are in closer proximity, they can’t bump into any sharp corners.

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      On the opposite side of the room is a brass-edged drinks bar finished with a Carrara marble countertop.
      High stools upholstered in butter-yellow leather stand in front of the bar, framed by a tiled floral splashback that’s meant to be loosely reminiscent of a Parisian bistro floor.
      A corduroy banquette nods to the 70sPrior to Luchetti Krelle’s intervention, the interior featured a “cold” black-and-white paint scheme. So the studio was keen to introduce some bolder colours – particularly those synonymous with the Australian bush.
      The existing concrete floor was coated in eucalyptus-green paint while the ceiling was finished with a natural red fibre that’s similar in hue to the indigenous Waratah flower.
      Just beneath the ceiling is a sequence of custom shelves, just high enough to fit a typical wine bottle.
      Brass ribboning runs around the base and countertop of the barCorduroy seating and Rosso Levanto tables were installed in Jane’s narrower rear dining room to create an aesthetic connection to the rest of the bar.
      From here, diners can access the bar’s private courtyard and the toilets, which take over the butcher’s former salting room.
      A new skylight brings light to the windowless dining area at the rearThis space was previously accessed via a short flight of steps. But the floor was raised to meet the level of the front room and further enhance the sense of continuity.
      A new skylight and glazed panel in the back door help illuminate the space, while a false ceiling was knocked through to make the walls appear taller.
      This room was also fitted with corduroy-lined furnitureLuchetti Krelle was established in 2008 and is led by Rachel Luchetti and Stuart Krell.
      Jane joins a multitude of bars and restaurants in Sydney, which is known for its vibrant dining scene.
      Other examples include moody gin bar Four Pillars Laboratory and Glorietta, an airy Italian restaurant decked out with timber and rattan furnishings.
      The photography is by Anson Smart.

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      YSG designs playful Sydney penthouse for empty nesters

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      Australian studio YSG has added quirky fixtures and furnishings to this penthouse in Sydney’s Darlinghurst neighbourhood to suit the owners’ new post-lockdown design tastes.

      Drawing on references from tiled Spanish tapas bars to the colour palette of surrealist artworks, YSG gutted the apartment’s formerly “sober” interior to make way for a bolder fit-out.
      A fluffy armchair decorates the lounge of the Dream Weaver penthouseThe owners’ newfound freedom as empty nesters, alongside the lifestyle changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, played a key part in their wish for more aesthetically striking living quarters, according to YSG.
      “The past year of being sequestered at home amplified their desire for individual expression and more colourful injections regarding final furnishing selections,” the studio explained.
      “As consummate entertainers, they also requested conversational custom pieces.”

      Slabs of blue lapis lazuli stone clad the kitchen prep counterThe living room is now dressed with thick pile rugs, purple patchwork sofas and a shaggy pink armchair.
      A zingy pop of colour is provided by a trio of Murano glass floor lamps with contrasting transparent and metallic gold stripes. Nearby, a sliding door was inset with a matching amber-tinted porthole.
      Lapis lazuli is also incorporated into the custom drinks trolleyAlmost-black cabinetry was fitted in the adjacent kitchen alongside a backlit steel-framed shelf, which YSG said helps to display the owners’ tableware with “museum-like finesse”.
      The space is anchored by a blocky prep counter clad in purposely mismatched lapis lazuli stone slabs. A sculptural white breakfast bar is fitted with a rotating granite platter, on which the owners can present cheese and canapes when guests are over.
      A plum-red bed centres the principal bedroomJust beyond the kitchen is a dining area complete with a wooden table that was made bespoke by YSG and local industrial designer Adam Goodrum.
      There’s also a custom drinks trolley that features a worktop and handles made from the same blue lapis lazuli stone that covers the prep counter.
      At the back of the space is a wall overlaid with glossy off-white Moroccan tiles that reflect light around the room.

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      A similar medley of materials and colours can be found in the principal bedroom, which was extended out onto the penthouse’s terrace to make space for a study nook and walk-in wardrobe.
      At the heart of the room is a bespoke wood-veneer bed frame stained in plum red and topped with a Calacatta Viola marble headboard. Berry-hued pendant lights are suspended at different heights directly overhead.
      The adjoining en-suite bathroom features an onyx stone surroundIn the ensuite bathroom, the studio installed a panel of veiny onyx that winds its way around the shower cubicle and beneath a row of mirrored vanity cabinets, at which point it turns into a ledge with two integrated sinks.
      Similar stone fixtures were created in the guest bathroom and the moodier main bathroom, which is entirely clad in deep indigo tiles.
      Indigo tiles create a moodier feel in the family bathroomAround the terrace, YSG added a number of large potted plants and succulents to keep the outdoor area out of sight from neighbouring properties.
      The space is dressed with blue furnishings that create a visual link to the waters of Rushcutter Bay, which can be seen in the distance.
      Tall plants provide privacy to the penthouse’s terraceYSG was established in 2020 and is led by designer Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem.
      The studio has completed a number of projects in its hometown of Sydney, including a family house with tactile interiors and a moody gin bar featuring black walls and juniper berry-blue furnishings.
      The photography is by Prue Ruscoe.
      Project credits:
      Design: YSGStyling: Felicity NgBuilding: Promena Projects

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      Four Pillars Laboratory in Sydney is a “sanctuary” for gin enthusiasts

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      Juniper berry-blue furniture sits against blackened walls inside this cosy bar, laboratory and store that design studio YSG has created in Sydney for gin brand Four Pillars. Four Pillars Laboratory occupies a two-storey corner building in Sydney’s buzzing Surry Hills neighbourhood. It was originally built in 1939 as premises for a tea company, but has
      The post Four Pillars Laboratory in Sydney is a “sanctuary” for gin enthusiasts appeared first on Dezeen. More

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      Luigi Rosselli Architects creates wave-like facade for Bondi Bombora house in Sydney

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      Turquoise and sea-green tiles wash over the undulating facade of this family home in Sydney, designed by local practice Luigi Rosselli Architects.The Bondi Bombora house is occupied by three generations of a family and their gang of dogs, cats and chickens.

      The swelling ocean waters of nearby Bondi beach informed the design of the three-storey home, which Luigi Rosselli Architects has named after bombora – an indigenous Australian term used to describe a wave which forms over submerged fragments of reef or rock offshore.

      “It’s an homage to that surfers’ haven; to the swell and the waves that have formed a rich intertidal culture for millennia,” said the practice.

      Elements of the home have been made to emulate the shape of a wave, like its undulating front elevation.
      Slim turquoise and sea green-coloured tiles arranged in a herringbone pattern cover the bottom third of the elevation, which the practice hopes will “shimmer in the daylight like the surface of the ocean”.

      Ripple-edged frames made from black steel also surround the windows and doorways.
      Black steel has additionally been used to clad the top third of the house, which the practice likens to an “armoured battleship”.

      Inside Bondi Bombora are a series of airy, light-filled living spaces with high ceilings, which Luigi Rosselli Architects created with the help of interiors studio Alwill.
      The practice had been inspired by the lofty proportions of piano nobiles, or “noble floors” – the first storey of grand Italian palazzos where main reception rooms and bedrooms would be placed.

      One side of the home accommodates an open-plan kitchen with bright white cabinetry. Inhabitants can eat at the marble-topped breakfast island, or around the more formal wooden dining table.
      Where possible, Alwill has incorporated practical features for family living. For example, a sideboard that runs along the rear of the room includes a fold-out desk where the kids can do their homework.

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      Expansive glazed panels can be slid back to access the garden, where landscaper Michael Bates has planted an abundance of fruit trees and pollen-friendly plants for the bees the inhabitants keep.

      A double-height void accommodates a small study area and a stairwell that leads up to the Bondi Bombora’s sleeping quarters.
      Cocoon-like pendant lamps made from black and white mesh cascade down the centre.

      The entire back wall of the stairwell has been in-built with a towering bookshelf. More books can be stored in the stepped shelving unit that’s been built to sit alongside the steps.
      A deep-set window on the first-floor landing has also been transformed into a cosy reading nook.

      Luigi Rosselli Architects has been established since 1984 and works out of offices in Sydney’s Surry Hills suburb.
      The practice has designed a number of dwellings around the Australian city. Among them is Peppertree Villa, a 1920s home that features a dramatic spiral staircase and contemporary glass conservatory.
      Photography is by Prue Ruscoe.
      Project credits:
      Architects: Luigi RosselliProject architects: Sean Johnson, Diana YangInterior designers: Alwill InteriorsBuilder: Building With OptionsJoiner: BWO Fitout and InteriorsStructural consultant: Geoff Ninnes Fong and PartnersLandscaper: Bates LandscapeWindows: Evolution Window SystemsMetal roofing/cladding: Traditional Metal Roofing

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