With its subtle art-deco aesthetic and nostalgic undertones, Anchovy Bandit could be the setting of many a memorable movie scene.
Anchovy Bandit could be the setting for a classic cinematic scene with its timber panelled booths, long sweeping bar and nostalgic, low-key vibe. And appropriately so, given its location below a new cinema complex in Adelaide. Designed by Sans-Arc Studio, Anchovy Bandit is a modern take on the no-fuss, hole-in-the-wall bar and nostalgic suburban pizza joint, providing a cosy and casual place to enjoy a drink with a side of pizza.
Sans-Arc Studio’s inspiration for the bar was threefold: a neighbourhood watering hole, an Italian pizza-bar vibe and a subtle art-deco aesthetic, which draws from the “new-art-deco” style of the cinema complex.
“We wanted the space to primarily look and feel like a bar, an informal setting, where every spot has its own type of comfortable,” says Matiya Marovich of Sans-Arc Studio. “The cinema provides a steady stream of customers, but the venue caters for different groups and all periods of time: a couple drinking at the bar, a few friends for pizza and beer on the banquette, or a family filling a booth for a long dinner.”
The sweeping bar down one side of the narrow space is designed as the main feature and culminates in the pizza preparation area tucked in the back corner.
“This communicates the venue’s identity as a bar with food, not a restaurant,” says Matiya. Casual and flexible seating is provided in the banquette in the front window and the intimate booths that stretch the length of the bar; while the softly rounded corners are reminiscent of the art deco style.
Catering for day and night customers, the space transitions from light and bright to romantic and moody. Sans-Arc Studio achieved this balance with the lighting and material palette, which Matiya describes as “a spin on old social clubs and Italian cafés.”
White rendered walls provide a light backdrop to the dark, rich timber panelling that wraps the bar, booths and along the wall. White tiles on the bar top and behind the shelves provide a light and practical surface, and orb and pendant lights add a warm and welcoming glow.
Many memorable movie scenes have been set in a classic neighbourhood bar like Anchovy Bandit and with its nostalgic undertones, it’s not too hard to imagine many of them being set here.
Take a look back through other projects designed by Adelaide’s Sans-Arc Studio. Our current issue of Indesign explores the age of hospitality design, take a look at other stories here.
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