Aperitivo hour just got saucier with Maurice Terzini’s latest outpost, CicciaBella Parramatta, designed by Fiona Lynch. Located at the base of the progressive Parramatta Square development, the largest office tower in Australia, this conceptual trattoria is flanked by a public courtyard making it an ideal spot for that after-work spritz.

A lofty brutalist drama unfolds within the space with references to traditional Trattoria’s, plucked from Terzini’s own theatrical memories of growing up in Italy – materials like plush fabrics, natural stone and timber and leather are paired with a sleek, stripped back ethos consistent with Terzini’s various venues seen throughout Sydney. Besser blocks, concrete and steel articulate the cavernous space’s hard angles and dove grey tones while kinetic elements, bursts of colour and supple suede banquet seating with raw, open seams unstitch the severity of the architectural fabric. The result is a contemporary classic, melding theatrical drama with polished urban grit.

Organic glossy jade green wall tiles, an olive velvet curtain and complimentary blonde European oak floorboards balance the crushed cardboard cladding and steely tones of the aluminium sconces.

Tie-dye cotton banners by the artist Benzo hang from the ceiling, repurposed from electronic music promotions for European clubs they add warm merlot splashes to the interior that are reminiscent of football flags draped over fixtures in local Italian bars. An unfurling lighting cord in Aperol spritz orange adds a slick tonal outpouring to liven up the industrial look and feel of the uniform muted forms.

Concrete columns etched with graffiti, also by Benzo, feature the initials of those involved in the creation of the space. Their textural kinks complement the scuffed finish of the galvanised steel walls and dense caramel coir matting used as carpet forming a settled patina akin to a traditional trattoria.

A collaborative effort between The Fiona Lynch office and Terzini from its inception, the genre-bending fit-out is singularly unique to Terzini’s design aesthetic. The space captures the libidinally charged energy synonymous with the prominent hospitality figure while respecting the urbanity of the city of Parramatta.

[Images courtesy of Fiona Lynch. Photography by Tom Ferguson.]