Chowder Bay: A Sergeant’s Mess
The stage was set: uninterrupted views of Sydney harbour, “multi-millions” of dollars and an abandoned 1960s army barracks flanked by unspoiled national park. Once the territory of the Australian Army’s primary maritime defence on Sydney Harbour from 1880 to 1970, Chowder Bay now plays host to adventure seeking tourists, top-class restaurants and events, the latest addition of which is ‘Sergeant’s Mess’– a dedicated function space by Sydney’s Tea Room Group. Here, servicemen have been replaced by gushing brides and white-collar workers thanks to a contemporary interior revamp by fellow Sydney-siders and long-time collaborators Spangenberg + Park, which pays tribute to the building’s military history and 1960s glamour.
Written by Kellie Holt for AustralianDesignReview.com, October 2009
(link to original published article no longer available)
Externally, the architectural renovation by Lacoste + Stevenson harmonises with the building’s bushland setting through the use of natural materials and colour palette, while large expanses of glass provide a direct visual link to the waterfront.
On arrival, guests enter a cavernous space directly connecting the northern entrance to the adjacent view south over the Harbour, arriving at the reception lounge. Stark white, 60s inspired furniture pieces (including Capellini Rive Droit chairs and custom-made ottomans) contrasts against their azure backdrop. A custom-designed recessed carpet, developed with textile designers ‘Six Hands’ and woven by Tsar, abstracts the Rising Sun military insignia with charcoal, geometric lines, and provides a softness against the hard terrazzo floor and three-dimensional vertical pale oak wall panels – another Modernist reference.
“Actually the building was reasonably contemporary which is partly why we designed it with a modernist direction” explains Annette Park, one half of the design firm’s namesake, Spangenberg + Park. “The building was, however, extremely utilitarian. It had no level of comfort, as you would expect in a custom built military mess. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this building was the fact that it virtually ignored the view. Our challenge was to turn this cold and very closed building into a venue to celebrate its stunning location.”
Layers of subtle, historical references exist every room, which, to the discerning eye, provides a treasure trove of intricate design delicacies to discover. In particular The Rising Sun regularly appears in abstracted form in carpets, ceilings, even surrounding the bathroom mirrors. In the adjacent bar area, it reveals itself in the dark pewter, silver and faceted mirror panels rising from behind the bottle display. The bar itself – a long slab of Calcutta marble – also features the same motif etched in fine bronze. In front, a series of reinterpreted club chairs (upholstered in subtle dark metallic silks and mohair velvets) stand alongside Tom Dixon’s Link tables and Punch pendant lights, together with another Rising Sun carpet.
Separated from the bar and reception lounge by way of two custom-designed, bronze fret cut lace screens, we come to the main function room – a 350m2 dedicated function space accommodating up to 250 seated guests. Only the low rectangular form of the original structure remains, however to heighten space, the ceiling has been opened up to expose the original trusses, where five large, Polish crystal chandeliers (again, custom-made) now hang from. The room’s plush materials and neutral tones were selected to compliment rather than compete with the visual drama of the building’s location. “The main room is the focal point of the venue, but it needs to be a luxurious and understated backdrop to the events held in it, not an outspoken design statement,” says the designer.
Large bi-fold doors have replaced the southern wall, connecting guests with the waterfront location and deck. Leather panelled end walls with ‘Hermes’ stitch detail help to absorb the sound while the pale oak panelled back wall again reference 1960s style and the natural surrounds of the Sydney Harbour National Park.
The most striking, individual feature is arguably the retro-inspired waiter’s stations speckled throughout the room, with their tan leather diamond stitched encasing introducing a sense of warmth and familiarity to an otherwise contemporary space. Like many of the furnishings used throughout the entire fitout, the stations were designed by S+P and, in this instance, made by Karisma Joinery (as were the upholstered, solid oak dining chairs and occasional drinks tables.
A modernist architectural statement facilitates the move from the public rooms on the upper floor to the amenities below with double height, pale oak panels sweeping dramatically from the roof to the floor below. Black Ice cut crystal globe chandeliers on shining chrome rods light the way, along with vertical rows of small LED lights recessed into the walls.
Breaking with the subtle consistencies throughout the rest of the space, the lower level sitting area is a world unto its own. Think Modernist movement meets Alice in Wonderland (a mid 20th century Alice in design Wonderland).
“The lounge is a quiet space with little outlook and no expectations which allowed us to be more playful in it’s design,” says Park. “We made a positive out of the low ceilings with illuminated coffers of linen fabric printed with parrots and military imagery; diamonds of mirror and crimson leather flank the walls and blood red carpet islands are dominated by over-scaled wingback chairs and under-scaled Saarinen marble tables lit by spindly red floor lamps.”
On this level you’ll also find the Sergeant Major’s Room, which takes the boardroom to the bush, albeit with the designer offerings of Paul Smith soft furnishings and Eames fine-grained leather conference chairs.
Sergeant’s Mess is the first dedicated function space of Manuel Spinola’s Tea Room Group, otherwise known for their other Sydney spaces – The Tea Room QVB in the landmark Queen Victoria Building and The Tea Room Gunner’s Barracks in George’s Heights, Mosman – both designed by Spangenberg + Park in 1997 and 2005 respectively in collaboration with Spinola.
In addition, Sergeants’ Mess aims to set an industry benchmark with a range of initiatives to reduce its environmental impact. A considerable amount of LED lighting was incorporated throughout the space, solar-powered hot water, rainwater tanks, low energy kitchen appliances, and a unique 100 mile food and wine menu where 99 percent of ingredients are sourced from within 100 mile radius of the venue.
With the bushland setting of Sergeant’s Mess an integral factor of both the interior fitout and exterior renovation, being good to nature will naturally be good for business.
