Looking for a fancy new dinner destination? Perhaps you've got a hot date lined up, have guests in from out of town or are looking to impress the in-laws. Whatever the reason, if it's stylish surrounds you're after, the winners of the fourth annual Eat Drink Design Awards have it in spades.
Revealed yesterday at a ceremony in Melbourne, the awards celebrate the very best in hospitality design across Australia and New Zealand — although this year, the podium was crowded with Aussies alone. From a shortlist of 88 venues, eight took home gold while a further 26 received high commendations.
Best Restaurant Design was awarded to Italian eatery Beccafico in Sydney, with the panel of judges citing "the unfinished joinery of recycled and fire-charred hardwoods, a sculptural beauty to the circular neon tubes that line the walls [and] a resort-like feel to the slatted boardwalk that bisects the space with wire-brushed timber banquets".
The Best Cafe Design was shared by The Kettle Black in South Melbourne, described by the judges as "the apotheosis of cafe design right now — light, airy, spacious, where everything is carefully considered yet it all comes across as insouciant in the extreme," and Abbots & Kinney in Adelaide, commended for "the play between the radical simplicity of the overall concept and the extraordinary accomplishment of the execution and finish".
Best Bar Design, meanwhile, went to Smalls in Melbourne, where judges highlighted "the colour and materials palette — moody, muted putties, flat blues and concrete greys offset by the occasional glimmer of glassware and brass," as well as artisanal touches such as "handmade ceramic tiles" and "open joined banquettes," and fine detailing seen in "marble tabletops, aged black leather and charcoal velvet upholstery".
The remaining awards included Best Retail Design, awarded to The District food court in Sydney's Chatswood Interchange shopping mall (home to Tim Ho Wan and Hello Kitty Diner); Best Identity Design, awarded to casual Bangladeshi restaurant Bang Street Food in Sydney; and Best Temporary Design, awarded to the Australian Pavilion Installation at Cafe di Stasio in Melbourne. Last but certainly not least, Bondi's Icebergs was inducted into the Eat Drink Design Hall of Fame.
Have a flick through the gallery for some serious hospitality design porn.