Leave it to perennial game changers MONA to design a restaurant where guests are led at random into a James Turrell exhibit, and the tableware makes eating and drinking a unique experience.
August 28th, 2018
The pressure to over-deliver on high expectations is a daily reality for hospitality venues. Always committed to doing the unexpected and often slightly offensive, MONA chose Boxing Day of 2017 to open its new AUD$30 million Pharos wing. It was the busiest day of the year, and, according to hospitality director, Pip Anderson: “It was a classic opening just like the others. We had no heating, no lighting, no WiFi or music set up, it was amazing.”
Designed by Fender Katsalidis, this new mind-bending building houses three James Turrell artworks, Unseen Seen (the six-metre sphere), the Weight of Darkness and the Event Horizon. There are also other artworks are by artists Jean Tinguely, Randy Palumbo, Charles Ross and Richard Wilson. Within this new wing is a restaurant called Faro, meaning lighthouse in Spanish.
Walsh’s wife Kirsha Kaechelle worked closely with interior designer Kathy Hall on the Faro space, which is all about natural light during the day, and manmade light at night.
“A chaotic lunch service turns into a cool, calm, collected dinner service,” says Anderson. This experience includes being taken through artworks at some unknown time during your meal, a move that leaves dinners feeling slightly discombobulated. “People walk into the space and are quite in awe and not quite sure what to do, so we encourage them to leave it to us, let us order.” This is by way of a sin du jour, a tasting menu served on plates that connect together like a caterpillar slowly unfurling.
Other details include rose quartz tables, green velveteen chairs, brass cutlery and hand blown Jacobson glassware that appears like spiky urchins, which can’t actually be set down on the table.
There is zero trash on site, so no takeaway cups, no takeaway plates or napkins, straws are made from glass.“People steal our shit all the time. The straws are probably our most stolen item, we take it as a compliment, but it’s quite annoying,” comments Anderson.
True to form, Faro is anything but an afterthought to the gallery. Entry into Faro is also not straightforward. Guests must walk through a tunnel before being greeted by an unassuming door, but it’s all just keeping on brand, “We think things through, but we also like to make things hard for people,” says Anderson.
This project was featured in Indesign magazine #74, the ‘Design Relish’ issue. See what else we’ve been covering from the hospitality space.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Technē Architecture + Interior Design associate director, Sam Sempill, shares insights into hospitality design.
A hair salon in the Japanese capital blends a language of metal and water in a distinctive, original design.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
An entry by MuseLAB, in The Retail Space in the 2024 INDE.Awards, takes shoppers to another planet where diamonds and great interior design make a lasting impression.
An outstanding line-up of participants will contribute to a beautifully curated exhibition in Thailand that delves deep into the collective thinking of architecture in our region and helps set a progressive agenda for the future of design.