Harbord Hotel by Alexander & Co

◥ Set back from the beach in one of Sydney’s suburban, once blue-collar northern beaches, Harbord Hotel in Freshwater by Alexander and Co draws influence from its rich, working-class history and Australian surf culture.

Completely gutted, the dated three-storey venue has been transformed into a destination bar and restaurant. Throughout the project, the design team sought to reveal elements of the building’s past, while introducing its new, “effortlessly cool,” low-fi persona.

Harbord Hotel includes the Balsa restaurant, a ground floor front bar, kitchen facilities and external courtyards as well as a newly refurbished original staircase to the first-floor functions/ events zone with a built-out balcony. In time, plans will see the third floor become a local recording studio and regenerated rooftop. Photography — Anson Smart

Alexander and Co — alexanderand.co