Sunfire

Sunfire is an early morning to late night restaurant on the edge of Lake Wakatipu focusing on local produce and South African flavours.

We worked closely with the clients to find strategies to connect this restaurant to Flame - its top floor predecessor. We gave this space its own identity, its own expression of a South African sensory landscape. We wanted the name to differ, to represent a prequel, or a beginning. We settled on Sunfire to maintain a familial connection and to build on the trust of the existing brand.

We like the idea that Sunfire draws more from the kindling for the fire and the fuel that builds it - as much as the fire itself. It was to be the place that gets things started. The go - to spot for the first meal of your day, a lively place to meet people and build new friendships, a warm perch for a drink while you wait for a table, and the essential place for dinner before enjoying downtown Queenstown’s nightlife. We wanted the outdoor dining space to be the metaphorical 'fire' that attracts all life.

The planning of Sunfire is in relationship with the sun’s movement. The dining space is at the front of the building and outdoors, in the morning sun. Intimate booth dining spaces are a touch further into the space where the closeness of people replaces the warmth of the sun. Deeper still into the space are high dining tables and in the darkest corner is the bar - glowing with amber toned lights and citrus glazed tiles. The famous Josper (charcoal oven) is visible through a long slot opening in the kitchen wall, interrupted by crockery shelves and very special ceramic pieces in dedicated shelves.

Materials are full of texture - gritty like an African desert. Inside colours are hot - red/brown highly textured plaster, cactus and sand coloured tiles, a stone ceramic water filter basin all working beautifully with the existing terrazzo floor which we returned to its original colour. Brilliant yellow and chartreuse green fabrics cut through visual heat like a twist of lime. Outside the colours a bold and sharp acting as a beacon. There is much for the eye to land on, but it is all purposeful, curated and with an intentional crispness. There is a relentless commitment to honest materials, a nod to the chef’s dedication to clear and honest flavours.