Buena Vista Hotel in Mosman, Australia by SJB Interiors & Tess Regan Design.

It’s the soft hues that strike you most about this place. Or perhaps it’s the gentile and sophisticated design. It‘s hard to put your finger on what this striking fit-out by SJB Interiors in collaboration with Tess Regan Design exactly reminds you of. It’s sort of French bistro meets pared back, refined, Scandinavian design. But what you can put your finger on is how it makes you feel, and it feels utterly charming.

The Buena Vista Hotel in Sydney’s Mosman has been restored not to a former glory, but to an entirely new one. And to top it off for those who loved Bistro Moncur in the East, the North side dwellers are about to enjoy Bistro Moncur’s new location inside this immaculately finished hotel.

The designers have kept elements of the 1940’s original feel – the basic architecture and the curved bar areas in dark mahogany. But rather than it becoming an overbearing element, as mahogany tends to be, in this case it shines. Probably because it’s set against the most neutral and well thought-out finishes. Take the breezy conservatory, with detailed glass panelling – very French in its origins, providing light and contrast to the space. As you walk through the glass doors onto the cobblestone flooring, striped cushions on long benches entice you.

A secondary long bar, with curved edges harking back to the original architecture is light and graceful, with it’s polished concrete top and copper edge detail. But it’s the stunning cladding to the bar front that’s the real hero in this space. The back wall of the bar is covered in small, white ceramic tiles complimented by the simple grey cylindrical lights. So many elements together but it somehow still manages to read as restrained and understated. And those stools! Perched as they are on silver grey stone tiles make you feel you’ve just arrived somewhere for a holiday. Pour the gin! I’m on vacation!

The whitewashed, timber slats on the ceiling give a Hampton’s feeling to the hotel. A beach side retreat. It is a sophisticated and relaxed vibe, fitting of a Mosman local.

In the more formal dining space dark leather armchairs give way to a set plasterboard ceiling with beautifully moulded ceiling details. It’s reminiscent of a gentleman’s dining room. Soft, pastel green, panelled walls give the room depth and character. And beautifully upholstered, warm tan and leather seats are sprinkled throughout, some in banquet style, others on a contemporary timber based seat. So many types of chairs and yet again, everything reads as a cohesive package.

It is hard not to like a space that has been given so much attention to detail. Whilst each element is thought through, from the varying types of chairs to the distinctly different dining spaces, none of it fights for attention with the other. This is no easy task -only a design team with the highest level of aesthetic appreciation and skill could pull it off. It’s even harder to take a space and evoke such feelings of delight. It’s not often that a hotel refurbishment takes your breath away. But this one manages to do just that.

[Images courtesy of SJB. Photography by Felix Forest.]