Meet the man who is redesigning the way Adelaide eats and drinks

INSPIRED by Mos Def and trekking in Tibet, Matiya Marovic is transforming our city into a drinking and dining destination, turning spaces you didn’t know about into places to see and be seen.

Meet the man who’s redesigning the way we eat and drink

THE lyrical musings of hip-hop artist Mos Def and hiking in Tibet aren’t common inspirations for great buildings, but Matiya Marovic’s designs are anything but common.

Since the launch of his studio, Sans Arc, the 27-year-old has been transforming our city – often by activating disused spaces with inspired architectural designs.

Marovic grew up in a family that was involved in the construction industry, but a Year 10 design class at Unley High sparked a nascent interest in architecture. Yet despite now being skilled in the art of building and interior design, Marovic retains a passion for getting hands-on with his projects.

“I believe in the old, romantic idea of the architect who does everything. The architect as craftsman,” Marovic says. “I still paint and I still fit light bulbs and plant things.”

The Sans Arc Studio-designed Pink Moon Saloon re-used a laneway off Leigh St. Pic: Tait Schmaal

In the past 10 months, five Marovic-designed bars and eateries have opened in Adelaide – ranging from Vietnamese diner Gondola Gondola on Hindley St and whiskey dive NOLA on Vardon St to Greenhill Rd watering hole Whistle & Flute.

Recently launched New York-inspired speakeasy BRKLYN – designed as Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) rapped about the whitewashing of Brooklyn – turned an underused second-floor space on Rundle St into the place to be seen, with people clamouring for an opening-night invite.

And the design that has won him the most acclaim, Pink Moon Saloon, a timber-framed drinking hut squeezed into what was once a disused alleyway just off Leigh St, is now in the running for the Australian Institute of Architects “City of Adelaide Prize”.

Sustainability is also key to Marovic’s work. Pink Moon was built using materials found close to its site – an approach the designer witnessed while hiking in Tibet. It also picks up on hues found in the Himalayan nation.

Gondola Gondola helped to transform Peel St. Pic: Roger Wyman

“My interest and inspiration comes from travel – mostly in the developing world – and that’s all community based and about vernacular style,” Marovic says.

Closer to home, a passion for the environment extends to walking from Goodwood to work in the CBD – often with cocker spaniel Otis.

“He hangs out in the office with me most days.” Client visits are done by bicycle. “I’m all about the sustainable side of things. I try to live like that and hope it permeates through my work.”

sansarcstudio.com.au