Alleyway is a micro whiskey bar located at the rear laneway of premium grade landmark building, 200 George Street Sydney. This hidden jewel was designed to complement the branding of existing café bars: Avenue on Chifley and Avenue on George, the latter delivered by Scott Carver in late 2016.

Working with a distinctively small site of just 3 metres in width meant that the bar would be standing-room only with outdoor seating. The constraints in turn presented an opportunity for the Alleyway concept; combining a clever use of space to deliver an original ‘hole in the wall’ offering to the Sydney market.

Ensuring the bar would function cohesively, from a back-of-house perspective, was a key concern when considering spatially planning this exceptionally narrow space. With every millimetre considered, walls were left uncovered while hand-selected reclaimed timber display crates formed a design solution of space-saving storage.

The raw look and feel of Alleyway is achieved by fusing recycled timbers with rich metal details. Copper piping, polished nickel, a unique patterned metal ceiling and a resilient bronze serving ledge in a Verdigris finish support the brand identity, while employing the existing site as an industrial backdrop. Lighting was skilfully integrated into concealed spaces, providing ambient illumination, design interest while mirror strips create an illusory depth of space.

Scott Carver’s design team worked collaboratively with the contractor throughout the construction phase, making ongoing refinements that would ultimately improve the design quality and ensure the most effective use of space was delivered for the client.