Australia Street Precinct by Killing Matt Woods and Paisano and Daughters

It’s hard not to admire the chutzpah of Paisano and Daughters. In a post-Covid world, when restaurant closures seem to be in the headlines every other week, the Sydney hospitality group has opened not one, not two, but three new eateries.

As if opening three restaurants on Australia Street, a character-filled thoroughfare in inner-city Newtown, wasn’t enough, the group has also launched the Australia Street Suites: three impeccably fitted-out apartments that sit above the eateries, designed to bring an elevated accommodation offering to the severely underserviced Inner West.

While the design language for the interiors is wildly different, the shopfronts share commonalities – sublime front-entry mosaic tiles from Olde English Tiles, for one.

The group’s creative director, Sarah Doyle, agrees that it does seem a lot. “We began the DA process after Covid, more than three years ago now. I suppose by that point, there really wasn’t an option to turn back,” she says. “Honestly, if we were looking to start the project today, I’m not sure we’d have done it. But one thing we’ve learned in our 20 years of running restaurants is that there’s never really the perfect time. You just have to forge ahead.”

And forge ahead they did. Since opening the Mediterranean-flavoured Continental Delicatessen almost a decade ago, Paisano and Daughters has gradually acquired the three surrounding properties in the heritage block of four over the past seven years and has transformed them into Flora, Mister Grotto and Osteria Mucca, venues which each serve, respectively, vegetarian, seafood and Italian fare.

“Cohesion wasn’t something I was consciously aiming for at first but, over time, certain design elements naturally evolved to create a sense of unity,” reflects Woods.

Working with interior designer Matt Woods of Killing Matt Woods, the team created a trio of colour-coded eateries: a soft butter yellow for Flora, a deep blue for Mister Grotto and a rich green for Osteria Mucca, and these join the vivacious red of Continental Deli. While the design language for the interiors is wildly different, the shopfronts share commonalities – sublime front-entry mosaic tiles from Olde English Tiles, for one.

“Cohesion wasn’t something I was consciously aiming for at first but, over time, certain design elements naturally evolved to create a sense of unity,” reflects Woods. “The planning approach remains consistent and, since the precinct is a single building, it inherently carries its own distinct character.”

While Doyle confesses that she “finds it very hard to do modern”, the spaces she has created with Woods are a tribute to her design instincts.

Each restaurant has a unique look and feel. Flora harks back to the tearooms of the 1950s, with its superlative wood panelling, dining booths, vintage wall vases, Dunlin pendants and retro-look wall lights, all bathed in the soft glow of Porter’s Paints Sisal. “We wanted it to be yellow, and we wanted it to be cosy and comfortable,” says Doyle, who raided her own very large collection of vintage wares to add character to each venue. “My house looks like it’s been ransacked,” she says with a laugh.

Next door, at Mister Grotto, diners enjoying longline-caught seafood are immersed in a nautical-themed wonderland, including a ceiling resembling an upturned ship’s hull. Doyle’s well-trained vintage eye is evident, from the fishing lures and singing trout wall plaque to the ceramic pelican and retro-look Australian seafood map by artist Michael Wholley.

“My aim was to create spaces that felt both historic and comfortable – not overly formal but welcoming and easy to live in.”

Osteria Mucca is subdued by comparison. It’s an elegant room of white-tablecloth-topped tables with green-leather-upholstered dining booths that run down the centre, backed by accents of timber and green marble. Once a butchery, the space retains its original circa-1910 wall tiles. “We really wanted to embrace the imperfections and let people see what was here before,” says Doyle.

She and Woods went with an altogether different design aesthetic for the Australia Street Suites, the two- and three-bedroom apartments perched above the restaurants. “I was asked to give them a Parisian feel, so I drew inspiration from classic Haussmannian designs,” explains Woods. “I incorporated elements like high ceilings, subtle mouldings and herringbone floors. My aim was to create spaces that felt both historic and comfortable – not overly formal but welcoming and easy to live in.”

Each one of the suites celebrates contemporary Australian design and art, and includes a curated selection of Jardan furniture. While Doyle confesses that she “finds it very hard to do modern”, the spaces she has created with Woods are a tribute to her design instincts. “There’s a modern, minimal aesthetic, but we still have to have a little fun,” she admits. Doyle’s idea of fun? A fridge well stocked with cans of Continental Deli’s classic cocktails.

Interior design by Killing Matt Woods and Paisano and Daughters. Build by Green Anvil Co. Joinery by Nik van’t Spyker.