Atomic Beer by YSG

Atomic Beer Project is a microbrewery and restaurant located in a formerly abandoned mid-century brick warehouse in Redfern, Sydney. Designed by YSG, the brewpub splices urban grunge with 1980s sci-fi and the familiar flair of modern Pan-Asian dining. It’s an intoxicating mix of futurism and nostalgia, with colour-blocked and patterned Kvadrat Maharam textiles throughout.

With the shell of the building exposed, the time-worn brickwork, layered paint and old-school graffiti provide a gritty backdrop to a hedonistic dose of acidic colours, slick plastics, gleaming metals and neon lights. Colours pop in the darkened environment, creating a moody and edgy atmosphere and aesthetic.  

YSG selected Kvadrat Maharam textiles for their durability and alignment with the concept. “We had confidence in the end result because of the durability, diverse colour range and overall quality of the textiles. Plus, the prints are on point,” says YSG director, Yasmine Ghoniem.

The prints are literally on point in the seating and bolsters that team the knitted upholstery textile Sprinkles (984) with Ria (591). Both feature a kaleidoscope of tiny, coloured dots, with Ria being inspired by the painterly technique of Pointillism. They are combined with Recheck (985), which features traditional check patterns, as originating in women’s couture from the 1950s. “The bar’s banquette cushions are tubular arrangements bound by belt straps, referencing Thai triangle backrest cushions,” says Yasmine.

YSG teamed spotted and checked textiles together to bring extra texture and dimension to the industrial setting, while pale ale, XPA and IPA beer cans inspired the colour palette. The Rabbitohs also inspired the palette, with the green and red seat bases of the banquette seating saluting the local rugby team.

In the all-day Thai diner, firecracker-red textiles upholster the seats on the upturned milk crates and hawker-style powder-coated aluminium stools, as well as the striped bolster snaking along the banquette seating. The checked patterns continue with Scholten & Baijings Bright Grid in red (004), with a side border of Patricia Urquiola’s Memory (653), which has a subtle digital-like pattern and tactile texture that creates the sense of beautifully aged material. “Our approach was to sandwich grid-like formal patterns in texture and piped accents,” says Yasmine.

The same approach is used in blue, with Bright Grid (005) bordered with Memory (193). And YSG also used Alexander Girard’s classic Checker in black and white (008) to upholster bench seating.

For more information about the textiles used throughout Atomic Beer Project, contact us at australia@kvadratmaharam.com