Arthur

Guru Projects’ client wanted to turn a run-down Surry Hills terrace into a fine dining restaurant.

They wanted it to feel like walking into a friend’s home rather than a new restaurant.

That was the principle that drove the design for Arthur.

The layout and the integration of the bar and kitchen into the dining area was specifically planned to mimic domestic dining arrangements and make the customer feel more integrated into the dining process.

As part of that approach, the bar transformed from a closed off unit into an island bench with a back bar that staff and customers could circulate around.

And the kitchen prep bench was not hidden away out the back but configured as an open marble benchtop directly in the dining area.

Classic finishes such as brass, leather, veneer and marble were chosen to reflect Arthur’s authentic sensibility.

Everything the customer touched had to be genuine and add to the experience. The treatment of the existing terrace followed a similar ideology emphasizing authenticity.

Rather than imposing a fit out on the site that felt new and disconnected from the building, a conscious effort was made to pay respect to the building through the design to create a restaurant that looked like it had always been there.

To that end, the existing walls were sanded back to reveal layers of paint and wallpaper that had been applied over the years. The standout red terrazzo flooring was polished to restore its former shine. And the addition of milk glass pendant lights added to the contemporary classic atmosphere.

Arthur emerged as a restaurant that felt both comfortingly familiar, genuine and innovative.

Project Details

Completion date – 2019
Building levels – 1

Project Team

Design and Construction

GURU

GURU is a Sydney-based team of interior designers, project managers, and shop fitters who specialise in hospitality projects.

www.guruprojects.com

Photography

Kitti Gould

Kitti Gould is an internationally acclaimed Photographer specialising in the food, wine, lifestyle and travel industries. Kitti’s restaurant clients are particularly important to her, as well as the food producers, foragers and farmers she has the privilege of working with.

Her passion project is Foraged, a series of macro images highlighting the beauty of foraged or sustainably farmed native, heirloom and heritage fruits and vegetables.

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 Broadsheet and Concrete Playground. In addition to shooting lifestyle and landscape photography for TV shows such as Gourmet Farmer on Australia’s SBS,

Kitti 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.

www.kittigould.com