ROSETTA Ristorante

8 Whiteman St, Southbank

Visited: 12th February 2014

Design: Clean, confident, elegant and balanced are just some of the terms that came to me as I approached this door. Surrounded by slate tiles and a white marble pillared door trim, although I can't bring myself to call it a trim. It's more than that. I feel like all the proportions are wrong when I look at this door. With the brush steel panel at the base and nothing at the top makes the handle look as though it is too low and yet to use this door everything is perfect and where it should be. Black, heavy steel framing for the glass panels make it look light as though it would just float open on the push. However, this beast had weight, (like trying to move the Rosetta Stone) and a presence. The resistance was hard, one of the hardest yet and yet smooth enough to almost defy gravity. I loved the mirrored effect on the back wall as you enter creating a depth. The two spot lamps at the base provided a nice reflection on the steel panel and the simple steel door stopper off to the right in the marble floor was a simple and effective feature that didn't upset the design. The copper against the white marble and the black steel is to die for. This is what happens when exquisite sophistication and refined craftsmanship marry. 

  

Door resistance: 5

Closure mechanism: Hydraulic arm

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 32 sec

Now, I don't normally include two images for a door but this magnificent door handle deserved a photo of its own. Hats off to the makers of this fine piece. Copper plated and a beautiful etched lace work that looked as though it had been done by hand or even engraved around the border of the handle. Just like the Rosetta satellite breaking new ground as it will touch down on 67P/Churyumov - Gerasimenko to study its surface and composition to give us insight into how the earth was created, so to does this sensual piece of design. I have never come across a door handle like this in my life, as the Rosetta will touch down on the comet my hand was guided in to its highly polished surface. My palm resting gently in its deep concave as my fingers grasped the ridge and went over to rest flat on the curved back for the pull out. You can come at this handle from any direction and grasp it however you want. I felt important just touching it. Just as the satellite and the stone have and will reveal answers to many of life's mysteries, this door has answered many questions for me like, what give a door the ability to make it an experience to open and how can design affect the human spirit?

HERE IS THE PROOF. TRY IT AND YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWERS.