Cocktails + Inspiration: Spaces that pair great design with great drinks

Holiday season is the perfect excuse to explore beautifully designed and built venues — and many hospitality spaces across Australia showcase truly stunning interiors in which to enjoy your favourite holiday drink.

Seek out Coastal Minimalism at Its Best

Think breezy timber tones, light stones, sculptural lighting and sea views. Many modern beachside bars are embracing relaxed luxury, providing a masterclass in material restraint.

Discover Deco-Inspired Urban Lounges

Cities are seeing a revival of jewel-toned velvets, fluted glass, moody lighting and curved banquettes. These often “hidden” spaces feel cinematic — ideal for designers seeking atmosphere inspiration.

Experience Industrial With a Soft Edge

Refreshed warehouses and micro-breweries are adopting warmer palettes: clay tiles, brushed brass, terracotta and greenery. It’s a softened take on the classic industrial look.

Splash out on Cocktail Menus Informed by Design

Some bars now design drinks that echo their fit out — colour-matched cocktails, botanically-inspired flavours, even glassware shaped to mimic interior elements: a playful reminder that design can influence every sensory touchpoint.

Here are some of our faves – feel free to send us yours!

https://www.maybesammy.com/Maybe Sammy – 115 Harrington St, The Rocks, Sydney

Known for its old-school glamour and art-deco interiors featuring pastel greens and gold accents, Maybe Sammy is perfect for golden-hour cocktails by the window with the evening sunlight catching the metallics beautifully. Designed by LD Studio, a practice recognised for its hospitality and commercial fit outs that blend atmosphere with craftsmanship. At Maybe Sammy, the layering of colour, texture and era-referencing design makes it ideal for design inspiration while its cocktail menu is as luxurious as its interior.

Caretaker’s Cottage – 139-141 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Recently named “Best Bar in Australasia” at the The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 awards, Caretaker’s Cottage features in interior that plays in intimacy and craftsmanship with wall-scaled joinery, refined lighting and a warm material palette. This interior is an excellent example of using spatial economy and material richness to elevate a bar with every detail needing to work hard and work together to achieve the end result. The joinery behind the bar is a stand out with the wood and lighting combination highlighting the subtle yet rich detailing.

Savile Row – 667 Ann St, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane

Enter through an otherwise-unmarked orange door and walk into a tribute to old-world-tailoring inspired design with rich, dark timbers, gold-gilded frames, leather upholstery and crystal chandeliers. This venue is a case study in layered textures and luxe materials with a floor-to-ceiling timber bar, complete with full-height ladder, clearly setting the “speakeasy” mood.

Luma Bar – 120 North Terrace, Adelaide

Designed by Hachem, a multidisciplinary design studio, Luma Bar has won accolades in the hospitality/bar design space including ‘World’s Best Bar Design’ and ‘World’s Best Lighting’⁠ at the prestigious Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. The interior has a warm, textured ambiance which is an elegant, contemporary take on Art Nouveau design with feature lighting and bespoke joinery elements that create a rich interior environment.