As one of the most progressive developments in the Rocks precinct, the Harbour Rocks Hotel is a demonstration that with care and precision, the rigorous requirements of redesigning a heritage-protected building can still be navigated to produce a breathtaking result. The hotel has now set a benchmark for hospitality design in The Rocks as well as the rest of Sydney, an intimate boutique hotel unlike any other the harbour city has to offer.
The new Scarlett Restaurant occupies what were formerly offices and meeting rooms in the hotel. Our brief was to create a restaurant. In the process we unveiled a beautiful subterranean basement space in an historic warehouse. The evocative texture of the original sandstone blocks is revealed by lighting, and lighting provides grace notes to mark and balance the cavernous space.