Reborn restaurant's design award is one for the books

Reborn restaurant's design award is one for the books The restaurant and bar recently received a special commendation at the Australian Interior Design Awards. The space was originally a Methodist church built in 1908 before it became Cronulla Library in the 1970s. "We had to soak up that volume so we designed this glass structure. A highlight of the restaurant, which has book cases, coffee tables, hanging drapes, and fireplace alcoves, is the glass feature on top of the bar. Mr Kalpou said the structure made the space more intimate. Owner Mario Kalpou of Cronulla said his vision was to create an upmarket space that wasn't intimidating. "We were given such a big space with so much volume," Mr Kalpou said. Mr Kalpou said he wanted to play on the building's heritage without being too cliche. "Being a beachside suburb I wanted to have a beachy feel but still have some warmth in the winter," Mr Kalpou said. "There are subtle hints of a library and we had a lot of fun with the space," he said. "All the materials used for the custom furniture were hand-picked and built in Australia. Mr Kalpou worked with stylist Sibella Court and interior designers Hecker Guthrie. Reborn restaurant's design award is one for the books Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 15/05/2012