Skip To Main Content
Issue 64 - The 'Future' Issue

Issue 64

The 'Future' Issue

Habitus #64 Welcome to the HABITUS ‘Future’ and ‘Habitus House of the Year’ Issue. We are thrilled to have interior designer of excellence, Brahman Perera, as Guest Editor and to celebrate his Sri Lankan heritage through an interview with Palinda Kannangara and his extraordinary Ek Onkar project – divine! Thinking about the future, we look at the technology shaping our approach to sustainability and the ways traditional materials are enjoying a new-found place in the spotlight. Profiles on Yvonne Todd, Amy Lawrance, and Kallie Blauhorn are rounded out with projects from Studio ZAWA, SJB, Spirit Level, STUDIOLIVE, Park + Associates and a Lake House made in just 40 days by the wonderful Wutopia Lab, plus the short list for the Habitus House of the Year!

Order Issue

A Product of

Fratelli Go French
HospitalityEditorial Team

Fratelli Go French

Australia

Barry McDonald, owner of the Fratelli Fresh empire that is spreading across Sydney, has overseen the inception of Café Nice, an unpretentious, laid-back French experience free from the clichés usually associated with this cuisine. By Nicholas Sherwood.


The new, 120-seat restaurant overlooking Circular Quay was designed by Michael Delany, who has created a bright, breezy interior rich with meridional gallic charm. As McDonald states, he “wanted a blonde, feminine room that had a south of France feel.”

Cafe-Nice-1

The abundant light in the project is a deviation for the designer, whose other establishments are typically “darker, more moody and very Italian”. Ample fenestration, glowing indirect illumination and strategically distributed mirrors create an internal nimbus, perfectly suiting the mediterranean inspiration of the eatery.

Cafe-Nice-3

Australians are yet to warm to the Niçoise cuisine, which is the food of the south of France – (more Italian than French). Instead of archetypal French food, “it is a lighter, fresher food – lots of olive oil, vegetables and seafood”. It seems a missed opportunity for Australians not to adopt this cuisine – as Mr McDonald points out, “nobody in Australia cooks this cuisine and yet its so well suited to our life style and climate.”

Cafe-Nice-4

The menu and wine list match the simple, light design aesthetic that has a tasteful marine edge. McDonald puts it well – “Café Nice is all about casual food, casual dining, beautiful light French wines and a bit of fun.”

Fratelli Fresh
fratellifresh.com.au


About the Author

Editorial Team

Tags

eatInterior ArchitectureInterior DesignSydney


Related Projects
Issue 64 - The 'Future' Issue

Issue 64

The 'Future' Issue

Habitus #64 Welcome to the HABITUS ‘Future’ and ‘Habitus House of the Year’ Issue. We are thrilled to have interior designer of excellence, Brahman Perera, as Guest Editor and to celebrate his Sri Lankan heritage through an interview with Palinda Kannangara and his extraordinary Ek Onkar project – divine! Thinking about the future, we look at the technology shaping our approach to sustainability and the ways traditional materials are enjoying a new-found place in the spotlight. Profiles on Yvonne Todd, Amy Lawrance, and Kallie Blauhorn are rounded out with projects from Studio ZAWA, SJB, Spirit Level, STUDIOLIVE, Park + Associates and a Lake House made in just 40 days by the wonderful Wutopia Lab, plus the short list for the Habitus House of the Year!

Order Issue