The Dolphin Hotel — Sydney, Australia

Keith Haring is bouncing off the walls and furniture in an iconic inner city pub in Surry Hills. Veteran Australian restaurateur, Maurice Terzini, has relaunched The Dolphin Hotel with art installation vibes courtesy of interior designer George Livissianis.
The adaptive re-use of the two level-venue is literally under wraps. Feature walls in the public bar, casual dining area and intimate wine room are intentionally this way. Clad in creased white linen and tethered by ropes, their ripples add weighty texture to the monochromatic white space
Upstairs, the lounge features an L-shaped banquette and cube stools. White linen is covered in kinetic black figurative outlines and squiggles reminiscent of Haring’s cartoon-like work, and clad in plastic for a glossy sheen. They are the brush marks of Beni Single whose witty graffiti-like illustrations animate the bare walls throughout.
The drink offerings add a more serious tone. Premium spirits are muddled with individually bottled Australian mixers and herb infusions dolloped from pipettes. Negronis come in various incarnations; the one splashed with fresh grapefruit juice and basil adds a refreshing sour note to the cult classic.
Nip in for a post work drink and graze on thin and ultra-crisp pizzas or linger by the fireplace on the the open-air terrace to sample the extensive wine offerings (every bottle is available by the glass). Highlights on executive chef Monty Koludrovic’s extensive modern Italian Australian menu include: grilled octopus with kipfler potatoes and salsa verde, gnocchi and green olives with braised lamb neck and cotoletta limone.
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
ADDRESS
412 Crown Street
-
Remembering X-girl’s notorious 1994 fashion show, which starred a pre-fame Chloë Sevigny
A new book by Angela Hill, ‘X-girl Show’ – featuring an introduction by Chloë Sevigny – documents the cult label’s renegade 1990s fashion show, which took place in New York and captured a changing underground look
-
How to spot a fake Lamborghini: inside the sports car manufacturer’s Polo Storico division
Fake or fortune? We talk to the team of Lamborghini experts who can spot a priceless classic from a phoney
-
Meet The Good Plastic Company, rethinking the way we use plastic
This creatively responsible brand supplied, and recycled, the plastic plinths used in Wallpaper’s Milan Design Week exhibition. Here’s how it is reimagining the use and reuse of the contentious material
-
Rediscover a classic midcentury hotel in Sydney
Fender Katsalidis leads a major renovation of the landmark Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel, pairing 1960s modernism with an elevated, Australian-minded reset
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter: ‘a lush restaurant with rooms’
In Sydney’s Paddington, chef Josh Niland opens the 14-bedroom luxury hotel alongside his pioneering restaurant
-
Book a brutalist one-room wonder Down Under, the Vipp Tunnel in Tasmania
The Danish design brand's bookable showcases arrive in the southern hemisphere, thanks to the vision of Tasmanian architectural firm Room 11
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Eve Hotel Sydney: a lush urban escape
A new Sydney hotel makes a bold and biophilic addition to a buzzing neighbourhood that’s on the up
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Lo Scoglio: an Australian vacation rental with regenerative principles
Tucked away in Byron Bay’s hinterland, an Italian-style farmhouse presents a sustainable approach to luxury
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitality
As women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Melbourne Place: ‘an alchemy of colour, texture and personality’
Designed by Kennedy Nolan, Melbourne Place is the Australian city’s newest independent hotel, oozing creativity and urban energy
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeys
Stay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic