Curves and Quartzite: Gildas Surry Hills by Atoma Design.

Atoma have unveiled Gildas, a light and feminine restaurant & bar in Sydney’s Surry Hills for Firedoor chef Lennox Hastie. Inspired by Rita Hayworth’s character in the 1946 film noir of the same name, the studio utilised strong curved forms and rounded details to deliver an intimate and elegant space.

Timber has been integrated into the design as a nod to Firedoor’s DNA, complemented with an earthy green colour palette that both grounds the design while making a subtle reference to the green that permeates the film. A mint quartzite stone door handle is matched with a curved bar inside, as well as the high-top seating.

Atoma cut away from the ceiling volume to further highlight the existing curved arch windows, drawing in light while expanding the height—a win-win scenario. Now curvaceous, these spaces interact with smaller rounded details and materiality, including a brass folded ribbon that snakes its way around the bar and on top of the banquette seating. As nifty as it is elegant, the ribbon creates a functional place for bottles of wine and waiter stations.

Furniture and fixtures were selected to further enhance the feminine language of the interior, like the soft ply chair by Adam Goodram for NAU with its curved and relaxed back. On the wall, Tan Arlidge, an Australian artist based in Sydney, created a custom fluid and translucent polymer centrepiece that feels almost as if an interpretation of Gildas dress.

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[Images courtesy of Atoma Design. Photography by Katherine Lu.]