2021 Eat Drink Design Awards: Best Restaurant Design – joint winner

Jury comment

An Italian restaurant housed in the recently opened Parramatta Square building, CicciaBella avoids the dull over-industrial treatments often associated with new builds, instead drawing upon a sophisticated suite of materials to create a truly unique eatery. The jury engaged with the imaginative, unexpected use of textures such as coir matting, unpainted Besser block, open-seamed suede, crushed cardboard cladding and chiselled bluestone. The most playful touches include galvanized steel walls, some of which conceal storage, and tie-dyed cotton banners and concrete columns etched with graffiti by street artist Benzo. The designers intended to reference the natural stone, dark timber and leather of a traditional trattoria, but rather than a literal interpretation, they’ve created an entirely new venue that’s distinctive, timeless and frequently fascinating – “a difficult thing to do when there’s no existing condition to draw on,” as one juror noted.

Design statement

Commissioned by restaurateur Maurice Terzini, CicciaBella melds theatrical drama with polished urban grit. It respectfully acknowledges materials found in Italian trattorias (plush velvet, natural stone, dark timber and leather) but with a stripped-back ethos. Flanking Parramatta Square, it attracts spontaneous aperitivo hours after work with its generous al fresco area. Tapered bifold glass doors conjoin the generously appointed terrace, enhancing biophilic connections during warmer months. Inside, a lofty brutalist drama unfolds with Besser blocks, concrete and steel articulating the cavernous space’s hard angles and oyster grey tones. Their heft and rigour are delicately balanced with kinetic elements, bursts of colour and the comfort of supple suede banquettes whose raw, open seams unstitch the severity of the architectural fabric.

Project credits

Design practice: Fiona Lynch Interior Design; Project team: Fiona Lynch.

CicciaBella is built on the land of the Darug people.

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See the whole gallery of images at the Eat Drink Design Awards website.

The 2021 Eat Drink Design Awards are organized by Architecture Media and supported by supporting partners Roca, Latitude and Yal Yal Estate; and presenting partner James Richardson Furniture.

The Eat Drink Design Awards are endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects and the Design Institute of Australia.