The Rooftop at the Quarryman's Hotel

by Killing Matt Woods

The Rooftop at the Quarryman’s Hotel in Pyrmont draws inspiration from mid century modernism & the residential architecture of Palm Springs.

Matt Woods of Killing Matt Woods designed the space to act as an intentional & direct contrast to the dark and masculine spaces of the pre-existing Quarryman’s Hotel in the urbanely renewed inner city Sydney suburb of Pyrmont.

Hidden atop the heritage listed Quarryman’s Hotel, was a series of small rooms which lead onto a small deck that looked back upon the Sydney skyline. The client realsied an opportunity to redevelop this space into a boutique roof top bar, & as such wanted the design to have a softer & feminine aesthetic, as to contrast the dark & masculine spaces which already existed within the venue.

Matt Woods was presented with a brief and a strict budget that needed to be adhered to. He introduced new elements draw influence from mid century Australian design. As a result The Rooftop’s aesthetic is classic & understated, with clean lines & minimal extravagance.

The Rooftop by Killing Matt Woods is designed as a distinctively feminine bar experience.

As a significant local & listed building, it was important that the new design found common ground with the existing elements. Matt created a new architectural language designed to pay homage to the existing buildings heritage. It was imperative that the new design felt contemporary & as such a modern design edge has been implemented on the new architectural elements. Further to this strategy, the art & objects (sourced by stylist Madeline Macfarlane), along side the feature lighting & locally made furnishings all play a crucial role in the contemporised interior.

The design needed to contrast the dark & masculine spaces which already existed within the venue.

Envisioned as a feminine bar experience, The Rooftop by Killing Matt Woods is adorned with gentle pastel tones that bring a sense of open playfulness to the space. The new contemporary design elements are sympathetic to the existing buildings heritage. This is exemplified with elements such as the circular penetrations, which echo the existing window joinery. The new lounge area ceilings are plaster coffers, whilst above the bar & corridor they transition to timber battens. The reclaimed timber parquetry floors, which feature four differing wood wash finishes are laid in a type-of-offset-chevron pattern.

As a significant local & listed building, it was important that the new design found common ground with the existing elements.

Sustainability is at the heart of every decision made by Matt, with De materialisation being a core design principle. All timbers have been sourced from reputable salvaged timber merchants, paint finishes are VOC free and all lighting is energy efficient LED. Further to this all materials have been assessed for their embodied energy & embodied water content.

Throughout the design process Matt went to great lengths to ensure the discovery of harmonious relationships. As such the contradiction in these styles is fully explored through the interior design. The design of The Rooftop is truly innovative in that it reduces it’s functional components to the necessities, with individual design elements ensuring form follows function & at all times the design goes to great effort to ignore the whims of trend & the potential of cliché.

Matt Woods created a new architectural language designed to pay homage to the existing buildings heritage.

The Rooftop at the Quarryman’s Hotel in Pyrmont draws inspiration from mid century modernism & the residential architecture of Palm Springs.

Matt Woods of Killing Matt Woods designed the space to act as an intentional & direct contrast to the dark and masculine spaces of the pre-existing Quarryman’s Hotel in the urbanely renewed inner city Sydney suburb of Pyrmont.

Hidden atop the heritage listed Quarryman’s Hotel, was a series of small rooms which lead onto a small deck that looked back upon the Sydney skyline. The client realsied an opportunity to redevelop this space into a boutique roof top bar, & as such wanted the design to have a softer & feminine aesthetic, as to contrast the dark & masculine spaces which already existed within the venue.

Matt Woods was presented with a brief and a strict budget that needed to be adhered to. He introduced new elements draw influence from mid century Australian design. As a result The Rooftop’s aesthetic is classic & understated, with clean lines & minimal extravagance.

The Rooftop by Killing Matt Woods is designed as a distinctively feminine bar experience.

As a significant local & listed building, it was important that the new design found common ground with the existing elements. Matt created a new architectural language designed to pay homage to the existing buildings heritage. It was imperative that the new design felt contemporary & as such a modern design edge has been implemented on the new architectural elements. Further to this strategy, the art & objects (sourced by stylist Madeline Macfarlane), along side the feature lighting & locally made furnishings all play a crucial role in the contemporised interior.

The design needed to contrast the dark & masculine spaces which already existed within the venue.

Envisioned as a feminine bar experience, The Rooftop by Killing Matt Woods is adorned with gentle pastel tones that bring a sense of open playfulness to the space. The new contemporary design elements are sympathetic to the existing buildings heritage. This is exemplified with elements such as the circular penetrations, which echo the existing window joinery. The new lounge area ceilings are plaster coffers, whilst above the bar & corridor they transition to timber battens. The reclaimed timber parquetry floors, which feature four differing wood wash finishes are laid in a type-of-offset-chevron pattern.

As a significant local & listed building, it was important that the new design found common ground with the existing elements.

Sustainability is at the heart of every decision made by Matt, with De materialisation being a core design principle. All timbers have been sourced from reputable salvaged timber merchants, paint finishes are VOC free and all lighting is energy efficient LED. Further to this all materials have been assessed for their embodied energy & embodied water content.

Throughout the design process Matt went to great lengths to ensure the discovery of harmonious relationships. As such the contradiction in these styles is fully explored through the interior design. The design of The Rooftop is truly innovative in that it reduces it’s functional components to the necessities, with individual design elements ensuring form follows function & at all times the design goes to great effort to ignore the whims of trend & the potential of cliché.

Matt Woods created a new architectural language designed to pay homage to the existing buildings heritage.