The design of Tonka responds to a uniquely challenging existing shell where limited access to natural light and the locations of existing services pushed program to either extremity of the long narrow tenancy; a bar area to one end and a dining room to the other. The kitchen exists in the centre and interacts with patrons of both sections in a genuinely engaging manner. The design plays out around the structure of the kitchen. Heavily focused on materiality and texture, bold steel details are offset against soft-stained timber and an overarching lighting installation by local artist Naomi Troski. A captivating spatial relationship is established within this balance between the clean lines of functional insertions and the highly ethereal mesh installation. Tonka offers an altogether distinctive dining experience where patrons experience and interact with a restaurant like no other.
Photography | Shannon McGrath
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