Sitting in a formerly derelict heritage railway building in Newtown, Cuckoo Callay is a cute little café and wine bar that bucks the current trend for recycled bricks and timber for something altogether unique.
The interior was inspired by the kooky name, which itself is inspired by a Lewis Caroll poem. Details and finishes have a vintage aesthetic, utilizing aged brass, blackened steel, pressed tin and distressed plasterwork, but an element of surprise is brought in through the liberal use of bold colours like magenta, teal and deep greens and blues.

The showstopper though is the optical illusion created by a mirror clad wall in the center of the space which is looped by a giant brass chandelier. The mirror works to make the wall disappear and to fool the eye into thinking it can see the whole ring of light at once. To top it off, mounted on the mirror in the centre of this, custom cuckoo clocks appear to float mid air. The effect is impressive given the size of the venue and is evident in the faces of all those reflected within.

It was a long project negotiating the various bodies involved, Heritage, Railcorp, and council, but one that saw a rewarding outcome for a client willing to break new ground.