Overview
Billy’s is one of seven venues within the hospitality precinct Ayrburn, a multi venue adaptive reuse of 12.6 hectares of an existing heritage agricultural site in Arrowtown, a historic town in Queenstown, New Zealand. Surrounded by mountainous natural beauty, the precinct’s intention is to strengthen the food and beverage culture of Queenstown, a world recognised travel and adventure destination whilst providing a launch pad for the Ayrburn Wine label.

Billy’s is the jewel in Ayrburn’s crown offering a refined, modern Chinese dining experience housed within the site’s original 1890’s homestead. The venue completes the Ayrburn Precinct and represents the culmination of the site’s restoration journey.

This project is a design collaboration between the client Winton, SA Studio and Alexander &CO. 

Embracing the bold, contemporary design vision of Winton CEO Chris Meehan, SA Studio managed the thoughtful and thorough restoration of the homestead. The highly detailed interiors were brought to life by Alexander &CO.

Jessie - could you please add 3-4 sentences about the following:
- Overview of the architectural works done to restore the building
- Outline architectural challenges e.g. painstakingly restored original features (Victorian era?)
- Were there any specific trades required? Really want to talk up your stuff here
- Think about adding things that you can see a reader from a consumer design magazine would find really interesting (possibly avoid architectural or technical language that the average person doesn’t know)

Working within the original floor plan of the heritage homestead, Billy’s consists of an entrance hallway, five uniquely decorated dining rooms, a materially rich central main bar, bathrooms and a new rear addition to facilitate the kitchen, dispense bar and back of house. Adjoining the homestead is The Orangery, a new exterior structure inspired by traditional glasshouses.

The Vision
The client’s brief included honouring the site’s story; a historically significant 19th century homestead for one of the region’s most successful pastoralists and his family and the first home in the area to have electricity.

The team’s intention was to layer this narrative with a highly decorated and detailed space where centuries old trades are honoured and craftsmanship and customisation is embedded across all elements of the Billy’s experience. 

Embracing a maximalist aesthetic, the interiors vision was to create theatrical eclecticism steeped in decadent colour and textural materiality, where “more is not enough”. Patrons are invited to step through the theatre curtains into a dream only to return again and immerse themselves in a different room with each space anchored by its own unique colour, wall covering and visual narrative.

While some of the other hospitality offerings within the Ayrburn precinct celebrate the agricultural language of local schist stone, raw timbers and blackened iron of the old hard working farm structures, the restored heritage envelope of Billy’s belies the dramatic and richly specified interiors within. As the former family home, Billy’s celebrates a residential level of specification and attention to detail not typically afforded to hospitality projects. 

The Challenges
Due to the venue’s complexity and ambition, the project was both a designer's dream and also presented various challenges. As a heritage-protected structure with a floor plate almost too small for hospitality, the team was limited in structurally modifying the interior architecture. 

Embracing these constraints, the rooms retained their original sizes and are fashioned into intimate dining spaces which open out to the central bar. The bar’s new bulkhead mimics the original placement of the residence’s corridor walls which were removed to facilitate necessary operational flow and drink service. The newly built conservatory, The Orangery, located at the rear of the venue provides a space for year round events where glass windows frame the changing scenery like art.

The interior refurbishment from concept to completion spanned over three years, requiring a sustained commitment to quality to match the ambitious design vision and budget. This project was truly a collaborative team effort; all stakeholders were passionate about the vision and refused to compromise on craftsmanship or outcome. An unusual process given the typical budget and time constraints that is afforded to most other hospitality projects. 

An example of this is the use of highly detailed wall finishes and fabrics that also had to remain compliant and meet hospitality specification. The team liaised tirelessly with certifiers to achieve extensive fire certification to ensure these materials could still be used. 

Finally, given New Zealand’s geographic position, material sourcing could be challenging and custom fabrication often meant multiple rounds of testing or adopting innovative approaches, at times pushing artisans beyond their typical repertoire of techniques.

The Venue’s Spaces
Entrance
Stepping through the restored original main door patrons are enveloped in a theatrical drapery of yellow and gold, setting the scene and expectation of the visual spectacle within. Restored original dark timber panelling, cornices and chair rails are layered with foliage patterned wallpaper and curtains in an array of fabrics. A small custom Tasmanian Ash host station featuring polished Tiger marble and fabric skirt sits on a custom patterned rug. 

Flower Room
The proverbial garden of the venue and waiting area adjacent to the entry. The sage ceiling, cornices and dado paired with floral patterned wallpaper reflect Elizabeth’s (original property owner’s wife) love of flowers. Bobbin armchairs are arranged by the original fireplace, with bullion fringed banquette seating in rust velvet on one side of the mantel and a custom waiters station made with Arabescato Rosso and American White Oak ribbed timber on the other.

Sun Room
A Rococo-esque 16pax dining room featuring Chinoiserie-inspired mural wallpaper, golden velvet banquettes and yellow stone topped tables. Of particular note is the mustard yellow tiled fireplace with hand-painted tiles depicting Monarch butterflies and the sprawling vine-like ceiling artwork custom made of hundreds of copper laser cut, hand aged and stamped leaves.

Liquor Room (Main Bar)
Each dining space opens out to the main bar, the venue’s timber heart. Existing wall panels have been embellished with aged mirrors with custom printed pattern and House of Hackney wallpaper featuring intricately painted flowers. The bar is topped with Cristallo Rosa Quartzite in a thick custom profile and fronted by leather panels meticulously hand-studded in a custom ornate fleur-de-lys inspired pattern. The bulkhead upholstered in ribbed linen rose fabric mimics the homestead’s original corridor. 

Reading Room
Colour drenched in a bold russet, this 18pax space facilitates group dining as well as intimate seating. Complementing tones of mauve, pink, purple and red are found in custom furniture upholstery and two mirroring fireplaces feature rich burgundy Rosso Levanto hearths. Roman blinds with a cascading floral print continue the garden theme found throughout the venue whilst theatrical mint curtains edged in burnt orange fringe frame the view towards the bar. Double tier chandeliers and custom picture lights in vintage brass add a gilded touch. 

Drawing Room
Located towards the rear of Billy’s and with access to the Orangery, this 8pax room provides private dining within a magenta and blue colour story championed by an exaggerated poppy print wallpaper. Aged smoked mirrors above the fireplace and on the ceiling further layer the space and American walnut battening creates a playful 3D texture. 

Vintners Room
Embracing its south east orientation this 16pax room is characterised by a moody slate blue saturating the walls and ceiling and dark forest-themed tapestry roman blinds. The gold banquette in Catherine Martin’s Panthera print stands out and the animal theme is carried in the hand painted fireplace tiles depicting Ayrburn’s former farm residents and native animals.

Dispense Bar
A new addition to the homestead structure to house the hardworking kitchen pass, large waiters station and dispense bar. Featuring more contemporary details compared to the rest of the venue; striped dusty pink and matcha tiled walls, more modern architraves and V groove ceiling reminiscent of the homestead’s original ceiling set on a diagonal. Highly considered materiality is continued throughout the kitchen, which is on show to patrons. This space highlights a library-like use of timber and marble variations, incorporating assorted custom profiles, three different types of stone and varying widths of timber ribbing such as the chunky exaggerated Tasmanian Ash front below the kitchen pass.

The Orangery
Surrounded by the spectacular natural landscape and beauty, this 66pax conservatory provides an event space when needed and a la carte seating.  Custom iron furniture layered in upholstered seating complement custom tables made from off cuts of stone used in the homestead. Centre stage is a large emerald tiled fireplace and the floor, a colourful tessellation of terracotta, blue and khaki. 

Salon (Bathrooms)
Just as decorated as the dining spaces, the bathrooms feature lush Verdi Alpi tiles and custom profiled dado and skirting. The bathroom vanities include geometric Liberty fabric skirting resting above the green and apricot stone chequerboard floor. Gold tiger print wallpaper creates a gilded feel throughout, accented by brass framed mirrors and ornate swan-shaped tapware.

Team:
Interior Design: Alexander &CO.
Architecture: SA Studio
Styling & Art Procurement: Winton
Landscape Architect:Winton 
Construction: The Builders
Photographer: Anson Smart
Editorial Stylist: Claire Delmar