By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
Solotel's latest venue, Public House Petersham, officially opened to the public yesterday. The hotel group bought the venue, formerly known as The Newington Hotel, from Tim Condon at the beginning of the year.
The pub has been closed since 21 September so that renovations could be made to create a fresh-looking venue to go with the ethos of the new name. The design style is industrial with a big focus on art, to reflect the culture of the Petersham community.
Licensee Amanda Verratti was overjoyed by the opening. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of Public House Petersham, the venue is absolutely amazing and the response we have had in this short amount of time has been fantastic,” she said.
“Everything from the setting to the drinks and food is so fresh and different, it’s exactly what the Inner West [of Sydney] needs. I can’t wait to see how it grows and evolves with the local community!”
The opening was kept as a very casual affair, with patrons encouraged to wander around the different spaces within Public House Petersham and discover everything the pub has to offer.
Eye-catching features of the venue include murals from local artists and a shipping container in the beer garden with recycled pallet seating that offers a cosy seating area for those who prefer to be in the shade.
Trying to project the ethos of the local community and its artistic aesthetic, there was a big focus on using recycled materials and upcycled furnishings. Furnishings were bought second-hand and repurposed, some items were brought in from other Solotel venues and freshened up, and staff had a working bee where tasks included painting, creating artwork and planting a herb garden.
“Almost nothing new has been purchased. This is a real success for us as we are trying to create a real local venue so using existing materials and working with our local community was a priority,” said Georgie Hutchinson, Design Manager of the project.
The official launch party of Public House Petersham will be held on 24 October as part of Sydney Craft Beer Week.
During renovations
After renovations
The industrial feel is compounded in the beer garden with the eye-catching shipping container feature
The pizzas from the custom-built wood-fire oven