There can never be enough pink. Ever. Nor can there ever be enough tassels. And when they are combined with flair, as they are with The Press, it equates to a tonne of charm.
Arriving via a back lane and a character-filled stairway complete with graffiti and edgy red lighting, the speakeasy vibe is writ large from the get-go. Entering through a non-descript door, the world of The Press is an instant contrast, as an explosion of colour, music, light and a cacophony of visual delights assail the senses. It is super cool, super excessive and absolutely fun.
Starting life as a printing press for the Bulletin, hence the name, the property in downtown Sydney has gone through several iterations, including being burned out. Following the fire, parts of the original pressed-tin ceiling have been replicated to match the remaining portions, the timber floor has been renewed and the large ornate columns remain. But otherwise, the space has been completely transformed.
This is no half measure. Rather, Nasim Köerting, design director at Merivale, set out to create a space that was an immersive, decadent experience like no other. “We wanted to create something for Sydney that was impressive, opulent, decadent, transportive, that took you somewhere else,” says Köerting. This is achieved and then some, with every surface revisited with excess. The walls, for example, are all covered with vintage silk wallpaper, vintage or velvet drapes, mirrors, or artworks. Likewise, the ceiling has been painted blue, which combines with the moody rose lighting as a sort of moiré iridescence — not blue, not red, but something altogether its own. The pillars have been partially stripped back to show a palimpsest of the lives this building has experienced, and in doing so add a new, slight grunge element to what is otherwise parlour luxe.
And, then there are the carpets! Designed using AI, the patterns are tonally cohesive flirtations on themes of floral abstraction, deco graphics and crushed velvet. These in particular speak to the shifting colour palette Köerting has orchestrated to form a gradient from pink to green as the stage is approached. Effectively, the space morphs at about the three-quarter mark, but the shift is subtle and not meant as a wayfinding device, but rather as appropriate to the cooler jazz mood of the stage, dance floor and quilted gold DJ booth.
The curtains surrounding much of the space are thick and sumptuous, with shades of peanut and the burgundy of heavy vintage fabrics adding tonal depth as well as great shadow play. Providing both aesthetics and acoustics, they are also a significant vertical, which, along with the pillars, breaks the extremely large space into visually manageable portions.
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These portions have been broken down further by groupings of fat furniture upholstered in thick vintage and contemporary fabrics. “We wanted the ottomans to be really puffing. We wanted them curved on three surfaces. We’re really fortunate that we have so many artists and makers that we work with who can achieve these incredible things,” says Köerting. This fatness is further exaggerated by diamond tuck detailing to the thick patterned fabrics on both lounges and ottomans, which are then paired with heavily tasselled or pleat-detailed parlour chairs. “There were moments of putting the fabrics together and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, are we insane? Or is this cool?’” shares Köerting. At the furthest wall from the band area is a reverse sunken lounge with a mirrored ceiling. Raised rather than lowered, the carpet shifts upwards from the floor to create the base of the bespoke banquette, before reappearing as a short podium floor directly behind. These groups vary in size from the large gatherings for about twenty people to smaller settings for about five. With multiple bespoke cocktail stations, each space is bookable, complete with a dedicated bar tender.
Central to the room is a large oval bar of pink marble. Excessive and luxe, the nine centimetre bullnose is a triumph of stone masonry and allows an under-light to glint off the brass foot rail. The barstools in black and white diagonals pick up the turn-of-the-century pre-Prohibition speakeasies, as do the burgundy velvet-topped Bentwood stools and Paris bar tables at the dancefloor area of the bar. “You open the doors to something completely unexpected. That’s what we wanted, to make a cool club, but when we started to put the materials together it started feeling very loungey and luxy and it just evolved,” says Köerting.
Collecting vintage pieces, including art, lighting and fabrics from an assortment of places, including the Paris and Italian markets, Köerting has the eye needed to stick with a cohesive aesthetic. In doing so, the room has an abundance of treasures, great lighting pieces, quirky art and a diversity of fabrics that effortlessly coalesce as an exuberant whole. What this means is a perpetually revealing of elements, objects and moments of delight.
Granted, there are supersized grandstanding pieces, such as the tasselled lights running the length of the room and the tapestry-framed mirror, but being at the right scale for the room, they sit well and don’t overwhelm. It is, however, the abundance of smaller pieces, such as the star-fluted Murano chandeliers, the bamboo or 3D ceramic lamps from the seventies, sputnik lamps, potted palms, trolleys and such, that continue the mood beyond the pale.
This level of detail has been explored throughout the project, from the coat-check with sumptuous, green, patterned curtains to the dark kitchen – that is, a kitchen where drinks are mixed back of house – that is designed to the bartenders’ specifications. The bathrooms are in the same mood, but surprisingly very little has been done to create the transformation, with new mirrors and paint the only real intervention.
And then there’s the magnificent karaoke room. Realised in a light caramel-beige palette, the room speaks to the Golden Years of Hollywood parlour style, with ruched silk featuring supersized pompoms, fatter than fat lounges, and ottomans, all in thick diamond-tucked upholstery, glowing displays of alcohol, feature walls and a mirrored ceiling. The vintage bar is a lozenge of dark timber and chrome detailing, while its accompanying wall unit has cutouts of the same form. A dome table lamp sets it off a treat. Playing up the Hollywood theme, the photography is all of the black-and-white celebrity, Dolly and Cher ilk.
Evolving organically as the pieces came together, the space is deliciously feminine without being girly. Think Chesterfields in velvet instead of leather. It is also exceedingly comfortable with deep lounges and thick bolstering. It is also a space of lovely little details, such as the way the fringes work with the air-conditioning. As Köerting explains, “It’s a lot of fun. Just look at how that tassel ripples with the AC. That was an unexpected, happy detail. They all just shimmer.” This, then, is the rub. It is fun, impeccably designed and absolutely fun.
