Gildas

Atoma were approached by renowned chef Lennox Hastie to create a sister bar to Hastie’s restaurant Firedoor. The brief was for a feminine, light and warm architecture that would draw inspiration from Gilda, Rita Hayworth’s character in the film of the same name. The design consisted of strong curved forms and rounded details to create intimate and elegant spaces. These forms are purposefully orientated towards the existing arch windows, activating the street frontage in the heritage conservation area.

The existing ceiling is cut away to further highlight the curved arch windows and to draw in light and expand the height. Guests are greeted with a curved bar as they enter the space that has been scaled at a residential counter height with a quartzite stone top that further creates a domestic feel and elegance. The use of timber is a nod to Firedoor’s DNA whilst a brass folded ribbon that wraps around the top of the banquette seating creates an elegant curved form as well as a functional place for bottles of wine and waiter stations. An earthy green colour pallet grounds the design and is an interpretation of the green Gilda.

Photography: Katherine Lu

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