Pixie by Flack Studio

Located in the vibrant coastal town of Byron Bay, Pixie brings together food, wine, music and good company to create an evocative dining room that merges all things Italian with local influences.

Flack Studio Founder and Principal David Flack, also behind venues including the recently completed Ace Hotel (Sydney) and Untitled (Melbourne), was asked to create a timeless space that felt lived in. “The brief was to embody an oasis within the context of the Byron Bay eating and drinking scene; a place for contemplation, artistry and company,” he said.

Pixie pays homage to 1970s Italy with references to Gaetana “Gae” Aulenti, an architect and designer who enjoyed the tension between old and new. This influence can be felt from the layered interiors to the modern Italian menu by Chef Matteo Tine. With Sicilian heritage, Tine has created an all-day offering that leans into "European coastlines and cobblestone cities" with dishes including Cacio e Pepe, crudo with pickled cucumber and tempura bug on a soft bun.

Stepping inside, Pixie’s layered interiors make you feel instantly at home with a rich material palette, artistic elements and luxurious accents. The space has a distinctively European feel (vintage Tobia Scarpa lamps, custom wall sconces, haphazard terrazzo inlays), but with references to the palette of the Australian landscape with terracotta flooring, an enamel ceiling in a deep butterscotch hue and brown timbers.

Cassina’s saddle leather Cab chairs and stools by the Italian architect and designer Mario Bellini feature prominently throughout the space in two different colour ways, rich tobacco and a warm red ‘Rosso Bulgaro’. The chairs are teamed with ruched elderberry leather banquettes which create a subtle contrast and add to the lived-in feel. Meanwhile, Cab stools surround the focal point of the space, a ziggurat-shaped bar made from Russo Nuvola stone with a burnished stainless-steel overhead.

The bar area is the focal point of the space and features Cassina's Cab stools designed by Mario Bellini. Photography by Anson Smart.

With reflective surfaces such as the enamel ceiling and glazed tiles, the interior is activated by light. “The controlled shafts of natural light beam through the Venetian blinds, creating gleaming luminosity throughout the restaurant,” explains Flack. “The entire ceiling is reflective, so when you look up you can spy on your dinner guests.”

Warm, effortless and inviting, Pixie celebrates the creativity of Byron Bay and the love of joining one another at the table, welcoming both locals and people from afar.

Pixie's interior is 'activated by light'. Here, the back of a saddle leather Cab chair designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina complements the terracotta. Photography by Anson Smart.

Terrazzo dining table at Pixie. Photography by Anson Smart.