Luchetti Krelle took a light touch to the design of Saké Manly, creating a relaxed harbourside restaurant and bar infused with the luxe minimalism of the Saké brand. Manly is Luchetti Krelle’s fourth Saké venue, following The Rocks, Brisbane and Hamer Hall, with Andreu World’s Smile chairs linking the four restaurants together.

Image source: Luchetti Krelle
Photographer credit: Anson Smart

Perched atop Manly Wharf, Saké Manly features floor-to-ceiling bi-fold windows in the main dining room and an alfresco terrace with sweeping harbour views. Luchetti Krelle adapted and evolved the restrained grandeur of the Saké predecessors for the Manly setting. The design team took cues from the harbourside location and fusion cuisine and drew inspiration from Japanese art of wabi-sabi, which appreciates and celebrates the imperfect. The ceiling is a subtle reference to a ship’s hull; classic Japanese motifs are referenced, deconstructed and appropriated; and a restrained palette of natural materials will patina and change with the seasons.

Image source: Luchetti Krelle
Photographer credit: Tom Ferguson

A shimmering anthracite boulder with cantilevered Blackbutt counter marks the entry reception, and a traditional moongate motif is repeated through the walls of the four private dining rooms behind the counter. “These circular windows express the final stage of spiritual enlightenment by channelling your gaze through to the breathtaking view of the water,” says Rachel Luchetti. Living art installations by Loose Leaf Design Studio are suspended above the reception and dining rooms. Made with decorative magnolia, native grasses and cotton stems, they reference the ancient practice of ikebana and introduce the raw beauty of native Australian elements.

Image source: Luchetti Krelle
Photographer credit: Anson Smart

The main dining room and bar is light and open, with large, lightweight cotton pendants floating delicately above the Andreu World Smile chairs and stools and custom oak tables and booths. Luchetti Krelle used both the spindle-back and panel-back Smile chairs and stools in beech with seats upholstered in burnt-tan leather. “There is a refined quality to the Smile chairs and stools and they are so well made. The design is a nod to Japanese elements and has the lightness of Scandinavian design,” Rachel says.

Image source: Luchetti Krelle
Photographer credit: Tom Ferguson

EMU’s Terramare armchair is on the terrace, where its clean lines and durable materials complement the marine setting. The aluminium frame and EMU-Tex fabric are water repellent and weather resistant. Parachilna’s LightOLight wall lamps are in the large private dining room, and Forestier’s Papillon pendant is above one of the maître de desks.

Congratulations to Luchetti Krelle for Saké Manly, which won an award at the international Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2019, announced on 3 October 2020 in London.

For more information about the Smile chairs and stools, Terramare armchair, and Parachilna and Forestier lighting, drop by the KE-ZU showroom at Alexandria or view the products online.

Image source: Luchetti Krelle
Photographer credit: Anson Smart and Tom Ferguson