Paramart - Paramount House Hotel
Hospitality | Surry Hills | Completed 2025
Team: Wendy Tong, Anna Wu, Kevin Sun
Builder: Trinity Shop Fitting
Photographer: Vic Au-Yeung, Tom Ross
Graphic design: Sonny Day
Sign-maker: Domus Vim
Press:
In conversation with Anna Wu, architect behind Paramart, Architecture, Au
Paramart is a mini-mart and guest amenity store in the Paramount House Hotel Lobby.
The space blends the iconic Australian milk bar with Tokyo vending convenience.
Milk-bar culture was about being local, accessible, and a place to explore. We wanted to recreate the feeling of going to the milk-bar after school to see what’s the latest snack.
We were very intentional about carrying this core idea throughout the design. Starting from the outside, we recreated a streetscape with the bright Paramart sign and mirrored door. Then, a tiled portal greets you, referencing the iconic tiled facades of the classic milk-bar. The dots of coloured tiles are inspired by sprinkles and “fairy bread”—a classic after school treat.
The open lockers are supposed to make you feel like you’re peering into an ice cream freezer at the local corner shop.
One of the biggest challenges was to fit in all these vending machines, but not make the space feel cramped. The full-length mirror in the back plays a really important role. The mirror not only serves to lengthen the space visually, but also hides important storage space. The store is also situated in a very dark corner, so interesting colours make Paramart "pop out" from the darkness. The effect of the brightly coloured interior contrasted with the grey concrete exterior makes the space feel larger.
