Who are you?
We are Studio Shand – an office specialising in architecture, interiors and object design.
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Where is the office located?
In Darlington, Sydney down the road from Carriageworks at ‘Buon Gusto’ – our studio’s pizzeria-to-artist-studios conversion.
How many people work here?
At Studio Shand we are currently Benjamin Jay Shand, David Veidt and Dion Cotterle.
We also share our building with a mix of painters, photographers, writers and directors.
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How long have you been in this space?
Three years.
Tell us what you did with the space and why?
We restored, refitted and rehabilitated the spaces to bring the building back to life. Our studio sits within the original restaurant’s kitchen, our desks in place of the old cooking line. Everything was heavily dilapidated which meant a return to shell, with careful preservation of existing brick and timber detailing and a new suite of finishes and joinery to provide a super functional, open plan studio space.
What three words describe the office?
Warm, calm and distinctive.
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What is the best thing about the office?
The workshop. To the back in the garage (where the original restauranteur used to wash his fish) we have installed workbenches with machines for basic timber, stone and metalwork. This allows us to prototype details, fabricate sculptures and be consistently hands-on
What does the office reveal about your work?
Our office is designed to nod to its past life whilst feeling fresh, considered and elevated – much of our work does the same.
In this sense we would hope that it reveals that we care about the restorative power of architecture—what it feels like to be in a building with foundations from another time – as much as its newness.
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What is the most used spot in the studio?
Either the sunny terrace above us off the rear lane or the lower left-hand side of our kitchen that houses the freeze-dried coffee.
What is the most unexpected thing in the office?
Technicolour bands of light that stream in through the old restaurant’s windows.
What do clients notice first when they walk in?
An orange abstract by Eric Smith or a 1950s wall unit that was originally designed by Paul Kafka for a Henry Kurzer house in Vaucluse.
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What does a typical day in the office look like?
Site visits, black coffees, design reviews and feuds over who’s on music (with preferred genres spanning pop-punk to lo-fi house depending on who you ask).
What is missing?
A lathe or laser cutter for the workshop, or an espresso machine to replace the old percolator.
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What have you been working on lately?
A row of ten terraces in Surry Hills, a set of thirteen apartments within an art deco building in Bondi and a corner shop conversion in Leichhardt. We’re also on site for other projects in Double Bay and Bondi and have others in sketch stage with a lot of excitement and challenges. On the non-architectural arm we have several interesting projects including a family of lights nearing production and a set of tapestries we’ve drawn currently being woven.
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Speed round time! Music on or off?
On.
Best thing in the office fridge right now?
Crisp pale ale ahead of Friday drinks.
Best lunch spot nearby?
‘The Shortlist’ – a fantastic Vietnamese café on Abercrombie Street.
Pets allowed?
Yes.
Most common communal desk snack?
Pretzels.