It’s the soft hues that strike you most about this place. Or perhaps it’s the gentile and sophisticated design. It‘s hard to put your finger on what this striking fit-out by SJB Interiors in collaboration with Tess Regan Design exactly reminds you of. It’s sort of French bistro meets pared back, refined, Scandinavian design. But what you can put your finger on is how it makes you feel, and it feels utterly charming.
The Buena Vista Hotel in Sydney’s Mosman has been restored not to former glory, but to an entirely new one. The designers have kept elements of the 1940’s original feel – the basic architecture and the curved bar areas in dark mahogany.
But rather than it becoming an overbearing element, as mahogany tends to be, in this case it shines. Probably because it’s set against the most neutral and well-thought-out finishes. Take the breezy conservatory, with detailed glass paneling – very French in its origins, providing light and contrast to space. As you walk through the glass doors onto the cobblestone flooring, striped cushions on long benches entice you.
A secondary long bar, with curved edges harking back to the original architecture is light and graceful, with its polished concrete top and copper edge detail. But it’s the stunning cladding to the bar front that’s the real hero in this space.
In the more formal dining space dark leather armchairs give way to a set plasterboard ceiling with beautifully moulded ceiling details. It’s reminiscent of a gentleman’s dining room. Soft, pastel green, panelled walls give the room depth and character. And beautifully upholstered, warm tan and leather seats are sprinkled throughout, some in banquet style, others on a contemporary timber based seat.
Meet the Architects: SJB Interiors
“We are architects, interior designers, planners and urban designers who share a vision for the built environment. We are leaders in the built environment, producing intelligent responses that engage, activate and serve those who use them. As professionals, we understand the value of working with others to reveal opportunities and optimise design outcomes, and that includes collaboration with clients, communities and user stakeholders.
As experts in our fields, we possess the expertise to provide design that is intelligent, feasible, robust, fit for purpose as well as fresh and life-enhancing. We build sustainability into our work and deliver urban and design solutions that emerge from the places they are located and the needs of people whom they serve.”
SJB Interiors offers professional consulting services covering Architecture, Interior Design and statutory, strategic and master planning. With offices in Melbourne and Sydney, they provide advice for public and private clients and across all sectors of government.
www.sjb.com.au
Meet the Architects: Tess Regan Design
Tess Regan is an Interior Architect & Design Consultant based in Sydney, Australia.Tess’s boutique studio specialises in bespoke residential and hospitality interiors, with an intensely site-specific approach that is sensitive to her clients vision and requirements.
Tess has worked both locally and abroad and each design draws on her expertise in integrating interiors, the building and its surrounds. Working in collaboration with other architects, consultants and design professionals, TRD has the professional knowledge and capacity to take on projects of any scale or brief and deliver cohesive and considered design-driven results.
Photography: Dominic Loneragan