By Tom Mark Henry
The vision for Bistecca was an intimate venue, which takes its cues from Italian trattorias focusing on one cut of meat and the best Italian wine. The offering includes a separate bar, restaurant and wine room.
Guests enter through the bar from the rear lane, an unassuming entrance that builds anticipation. Here they can enjoy an aperitif in the dimly lit atmosphere before being ushered into the restaurant for the full dining experience, where domed ceilings were created and a hearth takes centre stage, before finally exiting through the intimate wine room where dark timber cladding adorns the walls. Connecting the three spaces, while offering a unique experience in each was key to the spatial planning and material choices. The height and volume of the spaces within the bar, restaurant and wine room are intimate, yet comfortable. Black and white chequered floor tiles, Italian marble bar tops and bentwood furniture are seen alongside timber banquettes paired with striped fabrics and framed photographs on the walls that remind diners of time spent in Italy.
Photography by Damian Bennett
Tom Mark Henry was founded in 2014, bringing together a highly skilled team with backgrounds and degrees in interior architecture and design. Based in Darlinghurst, Sydney, our dynamic studio is increasingly active in hospitality, retail, workspace and residential projects. We offer a full scope of services from interior design through to completion of build.
Our team is passionate and expressive. We always take a genuine and original approach to our work and love to collaborate with our clients to allow their story to guide the design. Our studio has been recognised locally and internationally, with a number of project wins and commendations. This includes the World Interiors News Awards, Australian Interior Design Awards, Eat Drink Design Awards, Interior Design Excellence Awards and Restaurant and Bar Design Awards. Tom Mark Henry were recently named as one of Australia's top 25 Interior Designers by Vogue Living in 2021.