A Sydney Eatery Inspired by An Icon of Mexican Architecture

While New York restaurant design is currently all about the blue banquette, we spent the weekend swooning over the rustier, more terracotta hues of the seating at this airy new Mexican restaurant in Sydney. Called Fonda, it was designed by Melbourne’s up-and-coming Studio Esteta and inspired by both Mexican architecture — particularly the work of Luis Barragán — and the restaurant’s coastal surroundings. The interior ticks off a number of current trends — terrazzo, rattan, archways — but doesn’t feel over-the-top, grounded as it is by a mix of humble textures like concrete floors, warm wood slats, encaustic tiles, and a painted stucco effect on the walls.