Header: Courtesy of the Meat & Wine co., Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group
Meat & Wine Co., African Queen is a restaurant in Sydney with a very unique interior design. Light and colour carefully craft the environment, offering guests a very intimate and rich Art Deco dining experience. After opening in 2023, the design received an award for “Bar and Restaurant Lighting Design” at the LIT Lighting Design Awards. The lighting design was created by Ark Lighting, with Adam Johnson and Daisy Metcalfe as lead designers, a company that understands “the power lighting can have on an experience“, while architecture and interiors were handled by COOOP.Co Design Agency.
An intense and moody restaurant
The restaurant is located in a former Art Deco bank, and its new design features references to both Australia’s exciting gold rush era and the richness of African cultures, including the Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe. Per the lighting designers, the space is “luxurious and welcoming, with richness in both story and materiality.”
Marble, gold, velvet, and leather were used generously throughout the interior, and concealed lighting plays a major role in ensuring the storytelling and details are not ignored. These fixtures help soften the interior by creating a cohesive image, but they also work closely with each surface to enhance its detailing and overall mood.
Spotlights and ambience
Due to the low ceiling height and textured finishes, the lighting designers had a tough job: how to make the restaurant feel spacious rather than cluttered. The response was found in an intentional yet soft lighting design. After all, everyone knows the devil is in the details.
Custom-designed Snoop spotlights were added to create warm pools of light over individual tables, selected artworks were lit to give them visual emphasis, and shadow and contrast were used to add depth across the room. Other feature fittings include the Lyss Mini positioned within a brass arch and the Calypso pendant, both used at central points in the layout to welcome guests and set the tone for the dining experience ahead of them.
“The outcome is lighting that feels natural yet intentional, celebrating craft and creating a restaurant that continues to captivate.”
Ark Lighting
A low-impact lighting design
Sustainability was part of every stage of the lighting design, a theme for Ark Lighting, one of Australia’s first B Corp™ certified companies. The lighting design was achieved through a fully LED-based scheme using high-efficacy modules selected for warmth, clarity and efficiency. Scene controls can be used to manage energy use throughout the day, ensuring no energy is wasted by lowering levels during evening service and increasing them for cleaning and reset times.
Furthermore, the designers ensured that most of the design elements and fixtures could be repaired or reused in case of future renovations or problems. In support of this approach, adhesives were avoided to support future disassembly, and Ark Lighting’s Refurbishment Program was applied to extend product life and keep materials in circulation.
