Eliza Gosse and Benjamin Jay Shand
Artist Eliza Gosse and architect Benjamin Jay Shand recently joined forces with the opening of Buon Gusto Studios in Sydney’s Darlington—reimagining a much-loved old Italian restaurant into artists studios and a space for creatives to come together.
Photography: Alana Landsberry & Traianos Pakioufakis
Eliza Gosse and Benjamin Jay Shand in the Buon Gusto Studios space. Photo above & main hero image: Alana Landsberry
The Studio Shand space in Buon Gusto Studios. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
An original brick arched doorway from the old Italian restaurant connects Studio Shand and Eliza Gosse's studio spaces. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
Benjamin Jay Shand at work in Studio 01. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
The Studio Shand space features a new curved entrance door, reinstated burl shelving units, an exposed ‘popcorn’ ceiling finish and custom joinery in warm beiges and browns. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
Artist Leeroy Chapman at work in his studio at Buon Gusto Studios. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
Eliza Gosse's studio at Buon Gusto Studios. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
Hello Eliza & Benjamin—can you introduce yourselves?
Eliza: I am Eliza Gosse, artist and painter, and my partner is Benjamin Jay Shand, architect and founder of Studio Shand.
When was the idea first sparked to join forces and create a space for yourselves and other creatives to share?
Eliza: It was always a far-off dream we had discussed, finding creative spaces in Sydney to work can be very challenging and we wanted to make this even more difficult by opting to share our space with others. Benj had been looking for a space somewhere to adaptively reuse and move his practice to and came across the old Buon Gusto restaurant—tired and a little run down but perfect to hit the drawing board and build the dream into reality.
Why this building in particular?
Eliza: We love its quirks—the brick archways, terracotta details and hand-painted signage typical of Italian restaurants.
Benjamin: The layout was unusually perfect for our uses. The upstairs with divided ‘private dining rooms’ punctuated with hand painted Sicilian murals, and large windows with arched awnings. The downstairs with a commercial kitchen and main dining room, which we now share, as well as a garage we have redesigned for small exhibitions, pop-up shops and as a maker space with a workshop.
What’s it like working in a space you share with so many creatives?
Eliza: Everyone has their own room, which gives the current mix of painters, sculptors, designers and writers space to work, with all of us being self-employed the hours are a little sporadic, however we have a wonderful little terrace where we meet for aperitivo hour
Benjamin: When gallerists, clients or guests visit it’s nice to give the Buon Gusto tour, showing the other creatives at work in a building we’ve lightly converted.
The best part of working together in the space as a husband and wife team?
Eliza: Whilst what we do is very different, it’s been exciting to bring our practices together under one roof. Our days and businesses operate individually separated by an internal brick archway however Buon Gusto Studios has allowed us to bring in our different industries for exciting collaborations. Shortly we have Sydney Contemporary hosting a series of studio tours, whilst last month we hosted a number or architects and designers within the Buon Gusto walls.
What did you most want to achieve with the remodelling and updates within Buon Gusto Studios?
Eliza: It was important to us to retain as much of the restaurant as we could. The original restaurant had operated for 35 years and most people in the Darlington area were acquainted and even a little enamoured by it. The building however was very tired, having sat empty for years, which meant a pressure clean with many pieces of salami found in the process!
Benjamin: Studio Shand took the kitchen area off the primary Abercrombie Street façade, which needed the most work. A new curved entrance door, reinstated burl shelving units, an exposed ‘popcorn’ ceiling finish and custom joinery in beiges and browns are some of the design decisions to reimagine the space to best honour its history and suit the Studio Shand brand.
'The space was tired and a little run down but perfect to hit the drawing board and build the dream into reality,' says Eliza Gosse. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
“We love [the building’s] quirks—the brick archways, terracotta details and hand-painted signage typical of Italian restaurants.”
'A chat in the kitchen whilst making a tea could inspire you to enter a competition or try a new paint,' says Benjamin Jay Shand. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
'Everyone has their own room, which gives the current mix of painters, sculptors, designers and writers space to work.' Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
“Things [we’ve held onto are the] hand-painted Sicilian murals, salon doors, the Buon Gusto restaurant signage on the front of the building, which we have restored, an old terracotta awning inside for the specials board, and of course all the lovely brick archways”
The Studio Shand space on the entry level features a new curved entrance door. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
Artist Morgan Stoke's space in Buon Gusto Studios. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
'It was always a far-off dream we had discussed,' says Eliza Gosse of the Buon Gusto Studio journey. Photo: Alana Landsberry
Original details such as archways and coloured glass saloon doors have been kept in place. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
The current creative residents at Buon Gusto Studios include a mix of painters, sculptors, designers and writers. Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis
We love that you’ve held onto the history of the building while also making new updates—why was this so important?
Eliza: The building had so many wonderful quirks—something that was important for us to hold onto and hopefully add to over our time there. Things like hand-painted Sicilian murals, salon doors, the Buon Gusto restaurant signage on the front of the building, which we have restored, an old terracotta awning inside for the specials board, and of course all the lovely brick archways. For Studio Shand restoration and maintenance of architecture and the built environment is a big part of their practice and something close to both of our hearts.
The most rewarding part of your job is...
Benjamin: Seeing all the wonderful relationships being formed by the people in and around Buon Gusto Studios.
And the most challenging aspect of your job is...
Eliza: When the old building decides to show its age! Having a team of architects in the building certainly makes this easier to remedy quickly…
The most valuable piece of advice you would give to emerging creatives looking to break into the industry is…
Benjamin: Being in a space with other creatives can be very motivating. You may not draw from each other’s practices but when you work alone it helps to have others around you doing the same. A chat in the kitchen whilst making a tea could inspire you to enter a competition or try a new paint. In Sydney this is something both of us struggled to find over the years.
Are there any dream projects or collaborations you both aspire to undertake at Buon Gusto Studios?
Eliza: For the time being we’re just hoping for more of the same!
What does the future hold for Buon Gusto Studios?
Eliza: We recently had our first pop up in the garage (book store BTWNLNS) and would love to explore this with other small creative businesses. Also activating our terrace with a weekend art class series is something on the horizon.
What’s coming up for you?
Eliza: I’m looking forward to an exhibition next month at Halcyon House (a hotel in Cabarita Beach) where I enjoyed a residency last year. Also, a residency at Bundonon Trust where I’ll begin my series for my solo show at Edwina Corlette next year.
Benjamin: Studio Shand has just commenced on its largest site in Surry Hills, an exciting and complex residential project involving ten individual homes.
For more information about Buon Gusto Studios and to find out about upcoming events—follow their journey on Instagram.