Conceived by some of the country’s best design minds, The EVE Hotel Sydney has today revealed what guests can expect when the Harbour City’s newest boutique luxury hotel experience opens this summer in the new Wunderlich Lane lifestyle precinct.
TOGA Group’s Allan Vidor has brought together forward-thinking Sydney creatives, SJB’s Adam Haddow, 360 Degrees Daniel Baffsky and Interior Architect George Levissianis, whose designs are reflective of Sydney’s global city status, with influences from the local neighbourhood and abroad.
Allan says this talented trio have combined their design know-how to imagine spaces where hotel guests and visitors can immerse themselves in the art, cultural, and culinary offerings from the local community, with The EVE at the centre of the hospitality experience.
“TOGA has a particular expertise in conceiving and delivering mixed use precincts, and a passion for creating thoughtfully designed spaces,” Allan said. “And The EVE Hotel Sydney and Wunderlich Lane precinct bring together the best of Surry Hills and Redfern into one stylish destination.”
From the moment guests arrive at The EVE, they will be surrounded by style – from the immersive art-filled lobby bar with vaulted ceilings to a lush rooftop restaurant and bar with panoramic views over Surry Hills and Redfern.
Label 1: An urban haven, The EVE features a rooftop space that is first and foremost a garden, paying homage to the precinct’s former life as one of the very first pleasure gardens* established during the colonial Sydney era. Conceptualised by Surry Hills-based creative Daniel Baffsky from 360 Degrees, the landscape envelopes the space with beautiful, lush native planting and exotic palms that are in perfect synergy with the architecture.
The EVE’s 20m pool is set within the rooftop garden. Textural natural stone, accented retro-style umbrellas, bespoke cabanas and imported Sukabumi pool tiles complete the overall design aesthetic. Whilst the hotel’s all-weather rooftop restaurant and bar – a contemporary Mexican restaurant and mezcaleria helmed by Sydney-based, experience-led hospitality operators, Liquid & Larder – is designed to provide a sense of escapism for guests. Taking inspiration from Adam Haddow’s architectural palette, George Livissianis and his interiors team created a venue that maintains a sense of being outdoors.
“We wanted to create a space that felt like an external space – surrounded by planting and absorbed into it. The choice of sandblasted travertines, Palladiana flooring and an exposed concrete structure aims to create this sense of texture – of being outside and located in an urban context,” George said.
Red travertine sits at the core of Livissianis’ palette, and colour through the venue picks up on the variability of the stone – from ochre reds to brighter oranges – in tune with the Mexican food offering.
*The Wunderlich Lane site was part of John Baptist’s nursery which once occupied most of East Redfern. Baptist was Portuguese and arrived in Sydney as a free man in 1829, opening his nursery in the early 1830s. The Gardens – 40 acres of nursery and market gardens on Bourke Street, Redfern – were a significant horticultural contribution to the colony as well as the first pleasure gardens. They gradually became the ‘show grounds of Sydney’ to which Sydneysiders flocked at weekends when they were open to the public.
On weekdays The Gardens had a more utilitarian value as market gardens, nursery-supplier of seeds, plants, shrubs, and trees of immense variety and a source of cut flowers. By 1860, according to the Sydney Mail, they had become ‘a horticultural institution within this city’ and ‘a popular resort for Sunday picnickers’. It was here that the John Baptist Fountain was first erected by the 1860s, although its artist and date of manufacture is unknown. Source: https://www.cityartsydney.com.au/artwork/john-baptist-fountain/
In the late 1800s, the site evolved into the Wunderlich Ltd factory. Established by Ernest and Alfred Wunderlich, the factory produced ornamental zinc panels, cornices and architectural products which had a wide-ranging impact on Sydney’s heritage architecture, such as the grand facades of the Government Bank in Martin Place and the pressed metal ceilings which can still be found in Sydney’s terrace homes to this day
Label 2: Watch this space for exciting bar and restaurant news and images to come from hospitality operators, Liquid & Larder
Label 3: Sydney’s love of the great outdoors spills over this hotel, literally… with meticulously crafted landscapes that have a symbiotic interaction with SJB’s architectural design. Baffsky’s sophisticated planting design combines native and exotic species in lush, bold arrangements that connect and reflect with the surrounds of the cosmopolitan city on its doorstep.
Baffsky’s landscaping extends beyond the hotel walls into Wunderlich Lane, a curated lifestyle precinct that acts as a launchpad for discovering the best of Surry Hills and Redfern.
Label 4: Curves and plants play beautifully together: The EVE’s biophilic design features eye-catching curved balustrades peppered through a network of green spaces.
Climbing ivy, native and exotic shade species not only cools the site but invites interactions with nature. Here, Baffsky’s vision is to allow nature to take the lead to provide its own unique timelessness and, in a very natural evolution, blur the line between exterior and interior spaces.
Label 5: Incredible lightness of space: SJB has created 102 boutique hotel rooms that are both visually stunning and welcoming. For SJB Director, Adam Haddow, it was important to create a global hotel whilst ensuring the local identity was maintained.
As Adam says: “The design of the hotel is rooted in our understanding of place. It is earthy and grounded and grows from our belief that the hotel is equally about creating connection and providing reprieve.”
Label 6: Sink into innovative comfort with our thoughtfully designed spaces, where every detail tells a story.
“This is a hotel that is rooted in its location but appeals to a global market,” said Haddow. “To that end, we’ve used local designers, craftsmen, and fabrics that pick up the flora and fauna of Sydney and wider New South Wales.”
Unique features include the hand-crafted details of the glazed faience, bespoke lighting by Sydney designer, Henry Wilson, and an Australiana palette which provides rich tones.
Label 7: “Every aspect of The EVE has been crafted to evoke a sense of style, sophistication, and comfort,” TFE Hotels’ CEO, Antony Ritch said. “From the unique architectural features to the meticulously designed interiors, we are looking to create a hospitality experience that is both visually stunning and welcoming for all.”
The generosity and integrity of the landscape and, in turn, its conversation with the architecture, are shown to best effect throughout the 102 boutique rooms and the rooftop garden, complete with restaurant and pool.
Throughout the hotel and wider precinct, beautifully designed spaces play host to an array of sophisticated culinary experiences, hosted by Australia’s finest food and beverage talent alongside boutique retail and health, wellness, beauty, and spa offerings.
MEET THE MAKERS
Adam Haddow – SJB
The EVE Hotel Sydney was designed by SJB, led by Director Adam Haddow. SJB are the Principal Architects for the Surry Hills Village precinct and have led the architecture and interior design for the hotel, including the hotel rooms, lobby, and shared spaces.
“The hotel’s beauty lies in its relationship with the local surrounds. Using Australian designers throughout and a tonally rich Australiana palette, the design highlights the beauty of its surroundings. Its unique location on the fringe of Surry Hills and Redfern’s creative hub alongside the surrounding retail offerings will provide a vibrant urban experience for guests – they’ll have the very best Sydney has to offer right on their doorstep.”
Allan Vidor – TOGA Group
Allan Vidor is the Managing Director of the TOGA Group , a leading property development, construction, investment, and hospitality management group, and Chair of TFE Hotels, who will operate the 102-room boutique luxury hotel and wider Wunderlich Lane.
As Allan says: “Important to our vision is the legacy we create and leave for the communities in which we develop, and we see that this new precinct will be a place that people can live, work, stay and visit for many years to come.”
Daniel Baffsky – 360 Degrees
In describing his inspiration for The EVE, 360 Degrees Founder, Daniel says: “This is an international hotel in a truly international city that’s filled with a rich cultural and botanical heritage. The landscape we’re creating will reflect modern Sydney through the richness and range of its plant life. I always love to use an appropriate blend of plants to reflect the cultural narrative for Sydney, so there is quite a mix of natives and exotics at play at The EVE Hotel.”
“Both Adam and George have such a sensitivity to landscape, and we’ve worked together to find the best possible outcome for our design.”
George Livissianis – George Livissianis Interior Architecture
Australian award-winning hospitality designer George Livissianis has a reputation for creating feeling – shaping space and influencing emotion in his designs.
“With the rooftop restaurant and bar, we aimed to create a space that was textural,” he said. “From the moment you arrive, there is a sense of openness, lightness and being outdoors. Of course, there is also a balance of sophistication and simply having fun!”
A sentiment echoed by Sydney-based leaders in experience-led hospitality, Liquid & Larder, who will operate The EVE’s rooftop restaurant and bar when it opens this summer.
“We wanted to bring to life a venue concept that fits perfectly with The EVE’s rooftop setting,” says Liquid & Larder’s Co-Founder and Director, James Bradey. “Mexican does exactly that. Imagine sitting in the open air, margarita in hand, taking in the aromas of a vibrant cuisine – it’s an experience that Sydney is going to love.”
MORE ABOUT WUNDERLICH LANE
The crossroads of Redfern and Surry Hills is in the throes of an almighty transformation, with Wunderlich Lane at its centre. In addition to The EVE, Wunderlich Lane will be home to a collective of restaurants and all-day dining, bars, beauty, wellness, and boutique retail by some of the city’s best operators; event spaces; creative office space; and luxurious residences
