Sonora is a mezcal bar that eschews the traditional Mexican archetype of sugar-skulls and Frida Kahlo memorabilia.
Instead Sonora’s aesthetic is rough, unfinished and unashamedly elegant, focusing on textures and natural materials.
With a small and oddly shaped spatial foot print, the layout for the restaurant presented a certain challenge for GURU, a Sydney-based team of interior designers, project managers, and shop fitters who specialize in hospitality projects.
But the resulting design, with the kitchen occupying the main street frontage rather than being hidden away in the back, created a dynamic and engaging dining experience.
Coarse concrete walls, aged mirror, leather and metal chairs, neon signage and ubiquitous cacti come together to create a casual yet refined dining experience that is a subtle nod to the relaxed small bar scene of Mexico City both in tone and tempo.
A neutral colour palette was chosen to let the focus be on the vibrant, colourful food offering, whilst pops of colour in the dichroic mirror around the space give the bar a contemporary futuristic edge.
Project Team
Interior Design
GURU
GURU is a Sydney-based team of interior designers, project managers, and shop fitters who specialise in hospitality projects.
Photography
Kitti Gould Photography
Kitti Gould is an internationally acclaimed Photographer specialising in the food, wine, lifestyle and travel industries. Her restaurant clients are particularly important to her, as well as the food producers, foragers and farmers she has the privilege of working with.
Kitti’s work has been featured in publications ranging from Vogue Living to Elle magazine, as well as being a regular contributor to online publications. She has styled and shot food for several television programs including Channel 10’s Farm to Fork and soon to be released Three Veg and Meat, focused on introducing more vegetables into everyday dishes.
Photo Gallery
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