Laundy Hotels is pleased to offer a detailed examination of the redesign of it’s signature property the Woolly Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo, featuring Arturo’s Rooftop and Restaurant, by Sydney-based architects, Luchetti Krelle.
With the Finger Wharf mooring elite yachts and cruisers beyond its doors, Laundy Hotels extensive revitalisation of this heritage corner pub (formerly the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel) fittingly floats Mediterranean seaside themes. Drinking and dining sequenced over three levels prioritises ‘settled-in’ comfort, transitioning from a cosy lounge atmosphere on the ground level to a sophisticated interpretation of beach club resorts in Arturo’s, the restaurant aloft, and its adjoining rooftop bar (a new structural additional) that sways to a highly sociable beat.
Rather than alienating regular gambling patrons, the venue needed to accommodate them whilst drawing new clientele via its elevated settings. So, Laundy Hotels relegated the TAB lounge and gaming room to the ground level’s rear. The venue also needed to offer varied experiences to attract repeat visits and flex adaptable abilities to accommodate private functions in the restaurant/bar on Level One (with versatile furniture selections) plus rooftop cocktail events.
The late 1800’s build had endured several disjointed renovations. Restored externally and gutted throughout including removal of fragmented floor finishes, a forest of angular columns plus a central bar attached to a partition wall on the ground level, a book-matched timber-stained bar now straddles its far wall. Opening sightlines and space for patrons to sit amongst intimate table settings, beverage orders are now diverted to the room’s rear. A new central fireplace anchors intimate lounging before it. Its azure mosaic surround sits upon a rippled granite hearth, whilst pebble grey hand-sponged walls seal references to the harbour’s shoreline tones as do myriad terrazzo and swirling granite selections (including a stone-clad lift).
The fireplace’s flue adjoins another built in the restaurant/bar above where sail-shaped hoods rise toward the ceiling which features bamboo palm fibre coffers to launch remote seaside hideaway themes, contextualising the light Mediterranean tapas menu offering. Within the ground level’s triangular footprint, Luchetti Krelle loosely divided the bar into two zones: the sports bar and lounge to the east of the fireplace and general drinking and dining behind it. Whilst meals are available within both, all screens are relegated to the sports bar so as not to deter patrons from visiting on ‘game nights.’ Further cosying the vast ground level, tapestries of patterned tiling underfoot are a practical nod to feature rugs and we added a high timber wainscoting datum to the floating wall supporting the fireplace. 
To accommodate the weight of the new rooftop bar with its adjoining outdoor terrace, a new slab was laid. Concealing its foundation plus newly installed air-conditioning units, a whitewashed Acratex render (reminiscent of contoured coastal holiday town settings) undulates across bulkhead surfaces and flows down walls with a fine sand grain shimmer, transforming structural hinderances into thematic feature elements within Level One.
Tethering the venue’s varied settings to its prime harbourside location, the ground level – with its dark hardwoods plus deep blue and terracotta-hued Forbo-surfaced tables cradled in timber – transitions to lighter woodgrains and stone selections in the restaurant/bar on Level One. Wall and floor surfaces are also paler (combining hand-sponged oyster grey and tiled feature walls plus clay-toned pavers surrounding the bar). Directional upholstered dining and lounge chairs plus contemporary wall sconces further differentiate it, lightening the mood, yet raising the offering. Introducing a revived Grecian sentiment, the fluted bar, with its downlit columns and lithely arched speed rail, gently glows, whilst a flowing salmon carpet floats water themes. Four metal proscenium arches (with bronze undersides) extend from the fireplace, elegantly dividing the once cavernous room.
For a dose of pure escapism befitting the anticipated younger crowd gatherings, an additional space was constructed on the rooftop. They requested an ‘outdoorsy feel’ within the enclosure to guarantee patronage year-round. Luchetti Krelle designed an amorphic island banquette cradling potted greens that sits upon crazy quartzite pavers under a canopy of latticed bamboo. Other exterior finishes used to blur the outside/inside connection include shimmering mosaic table surfaces and glazed caramel-shaded tile splashbacks. Windows stud the enclosure with raised bar stool seating adjoining the curlicuing banquette, ensuring that water views can be experienced from every vantage point. An exposed balcony wraps around its enclosed footprint, attracting summertime sunset sessions. Back inside, downlights stud the underside of the bar’s counter, the bases of the banquettes and perimeters of the flowing joinery’s feature niches creating a perennially warm, sun-dappled aura enhanced by the upholstery’s sun-kissed terracotta tones.
Ends.
