Best Restaurant Design — Joint winner 
The Apollo by George Livissianis Interior/Architecture 

Jury comment

With its pared back aesthetic and respectful handling of the existing architecture, The Apollo represents a welcome direction in Australasian hospitality design where the offer of food and drink is made without elaborate guise or spectacle. Recognising the good ‘bones’ of the architectural shell, the designer selectively and incrementally removed extraneous layers, to reveal the inherently strong structural, spatial and luminous qualities of the 1930s  building. These have been amplified with an inspired equilibrium between rawness and repair. Dusky stripped back surfaces, with their palimpsest of wear and use, harmonise with a subtle colour and textual palette of new natural materials.  Introduced elements are handled with robustness, and cognisance of dining traditions, so that, like the modern Greek food and wine of the menu, the dining experience is familiar culturally, yet potent and contemporary. This is the 21st century version of ‘Less is more’, where clarity of purpose and sensitivity to site work to inspired effect.

Design statement

The Apollo concept aims to capture the inherent Mediterranean character of the building to create a space of uncontrived simplicity. The materials selected emulate the muted palette typical of the rocky Greek island landscape. The volume of the dining room is maximized by the arched facade windows and the exposed ceiling structure and is enhanced by the low and long proportions of the dining bar. The existing restaurant site dictated that the kitchen was isolated from the dining room and our response was to exaggerate the size of the dining bar and create a focal point in the room. The existing kitchen was rethought and a chef’s table was added into the same footprint as the previous kitchen.

Read a review of this project from Artichoke 40.

The Apollo
44 Macleay Street
Potts Point NSW 2011
+61 2 8354 0888
theapollo.com.au