Refined Coastal – Muni by Sans-Arc Studio
Stripping back the dining and wine bar experience while elevating it at the same time, Muni sits worlds apart from other nearby coastal hospitality offerings. Aligning with a passionate client, Sans-Arc Studio creates a space that allows the processes of the kitchen to remain the showcase, with the guests well positioned to watch the show.
Located in the main street of South Australia’s growing Port Willunga – a small coastal community that has become a popular place for a sea change, second home or for a destination drive from Adelaide – Muni feels like it could be situated anywhere yet feels appropriate and refreshing in place. Predominantly, the space is shaped internally using steel. Usually an austere material, its refined composition feels purposeful – designed as sculpture in itself. Timber elements are then inserted in a similarly exposed fashion to bring a warmth through the natural association, while the linear language remains as a connecting feature between the two.
Placing the kitchen at the centre of the restaurant readjusts the priorities of the space by creating opportunities for engagement between creator and guest. It is a typology that leaves little room for concealing any faux pas within the kitchen, instead centring the production process as a key part of the dining experience. Then, as part of a larger vision to create a considered and detailed dining offering, the wine bar adds a lighter touch to the dining delights. Sans-Arc combines contrasting elements to create a sense of balance and composure.
Although heightened through detailing, the extreme simplicity of the design makes Muni the ideal setting for the food to animate. Sans- Arc ensures the space is a complement to the offering while also being executed with precision, implanting some contemporary cool in its seaside locale.
