Beauty is often found where simplicity and expertise meet, turning the functional and expected, like this water station, into something appealing and unexpected.
The charcoal oven used to cook at the Sunfire Grill was imported from Barcelona and cost $33,000. This is because of the way it sears, smokes and grills food simultaneously, infusing it with a unique flavour. The same attention to the smallest details and focus on the ‘flavour’ of the restaurant is apparent throughout the interior design from Nikki Wilson.
Owned by the same team as the ever-popular Flame restaurant above it, Sunfire was designed to connect the two and represents the beginning of the day on the South African landscape. It links to the kindling used to start the fire and introduces colours with heat, with reds and brown denoting both the African plains and the inside of the renowned Josper oven.
The water nook uses wooden joinery to separate the flat warmth of the wall and the tiled recess that compliments the terrazzo floor. Dark and simple, the wood frames the nook and allows the light at the top of the recess to take prominence, reflecting off the tiles to create a flame-like aesthetic.
The bar/restaurant counter performs the same function. The dark wood is the frame that allows the other design elements to stand out. In this case, it’s the rows of bottles and glasses that give a European feel to the interior that links the design perfectly to that oven from Barcelona. The wood curves at one end, continuing the use of flowing angles in juxtaposition to the straight edges. Visually, it introduces a cozy warmth whilst retaining the strength from the sharp lines.
The kitchen pass through was crafted without those curves. The straight edges and rectangular profile of the joinery unashamedly framing the all-important views to the kitchen. It’s a show for diners, in a setting where the theatre of cooking is served as wonderfully as the food itself.
Interior Design: Nikki Wilson
Builder: Alpine Construction