Project Team

design: The Buchan Group
lighting: PointofView
music: Nightlife

Suppliers

furniture: James RichardsonProtoype, Stylecraft

Designed by The Buchan Group to evoke the French colonial era in Vietnam, the theme for Madame Hanoi  Bar & Bistro, at Adelaide Casino, was chosen by its renowned chef, Nic Watt, as the setting for an offering of French and Vietnamese-inspired flavors found on the streets of Hanoi.

The brief, from Skycity, was to replace an existing bar within the 1925 former Adelaide Railway Station with a new food and beverage concept. The new bar and bistro required a clear and separate identity whilst seamlessly integrating into the casino’s entertainment and dining offer. The concept was to connect with Adelaide’s emerging street and laneway culture and compliment Nic Watt’s French / Vietnamese menu. A referential French Colonial/Vietnamese fitout incorporating a ‘street art’ component was accordingly developed.


Milano Chair

The Milano chair is a contemporary chair made of solid timber and can be powder coated in any custom pantone.

Protoype

Major changes involved providing a new working kitchen and a mezzanine floor within the heritage listed ticketing hall, as well as redefining the connection between the Casino entry and the new F&B design.

The existing vaulted heritage space offered the possibility of a substantial signature mural element, as well as providing a platform for French Colonial referencing. Artists were accordingly invited to submit proposals for a mural based on the concept of ‘Madame Hanoi.’   Artist, Emma Hack, was selected to develop her vision, with the resplendent result now gracing the completed interior

Elements from the mural were extracted and developed by the graphic designers for logos and menus and were interwoven in ornate detail into lacquer work on the coffee machine.

The interior design was deliberately restrained with the knowledge that the artwork and an overlay of framed pictures and curios (also curated by Emma Hack) were to be the dominant elements.

Dark timber walls and flooring were employed to provide a background for the curated overlay and to evoke the dark ambience of a traditional Vietnamese guesthouse, and ornate wrought iron screens and gates were designed along the interface with the Casino entry lobby.

Externally, new French/Hanoi café-style windows were installed between the existing granite columns, with a doorway opening to a small morning café. Set just beneath the Madame Hanoi mural, the café was designed in an understated style with black and white floor tiles creating a very simple French aesthetic.

The opening of Madame Hanoi in January 2015 marked the completion of the progressive upgrade of the existing Adelaide Casino facilities by Skycity as part of a broader vision for the expansion of the property.

Principal David Forbes led the architectural team, and Associate Bruce Dickinson was the Senior Interior Designer. Paul Harrison was the Project Architect.


Odessa Bar Stool

European Beech Frame, available in Antique stain or to specification

James Richardson