![Blue tasting counter features in Four Pillars Laboratory](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_hero-1-852x479.jpg)
Four Pillars Laboratory in Sydney is a "sanctuary" for gin enthusiasts
Juniper berry-blue furniture sits against blackened walls inside this cosy bar, laboratory and store that design studio YSG has created in Sydney for gin brand Four Pillars.
Four Pillars Laboratory occupies a two-storey corner building in Sydney's buzzing Surry Hills neighbourhood. It was originally built in 1939 as premises for a tea company, but has since been reincarnated as various retail and hospitality spaces.
![Four Pillars Laboratory includes a gin shop](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x639.jpg)
The building now houses a lab, store and bar for gin brand Four Pillars.
When locally-based design studio YSG was brought on board to develop the interiors, it set about creating a "robust yet tactile sanctuary" where visitors can comfortably sample and learn more about gin in an unpretentious environment.
![Four Pillars Laboratory includes a gin shop](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_11-852x1136.jpg)
Warm materials and colours have therefore been applied throughout.
In the ground-floor shop, which sits towards the front of the building overlooking the street, walls have been loosely rendered with sand-coloured micro cement.
![Four Pillars Laboratory has blackened walls](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_14-852x1136.jpg)
Australian red cedar and Cambia ash have been used to craft a towering 3.3-metre-high shelving unit that displays the brand's array of merchandise.
The same type of cedar forms the lengthy service table that sits at the centre of the room. A cash register has been subtly integrated into its countertop so that, if necessary, the rest of the table can be used as an impromptu tasting station.
![Four Pillars Laboratory has blackened walls](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_15-852x639.jpg)
Darkened panels of Portuguese cork lines the walls of the staircase that leads up to the gin lab on the first floor.
The focal point of this room is a piece of gleaming copper apparatus called a still, which Four Pillars uses to produce small batches of custom gin.
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Surfaces here also take on a moodier appearance – a majority of the walls are either covered with almost-black plaster or clad with the same cork panels.
"Enveloping the walls with cosseting appeal, they recede into darkness, maintaining the focus on the central cocktail-making action," explained the studio.
Pre-existing timber beams on the ceiling have also been preserved to "enhance the storied appeal of the space".
![Bar inside Four Pillars Laboratory has a secret entrance](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_3-852x1136.jpg)
Colour is introduced by the main tasting counter, which has been made the same rich blue hue as a juniper berry – the main ingredient of gin and what gives the alcoholic drink its distinctive flavour.
In front are a series of matching blue stool seats upholstered in Kvadrat fabric, where visitors can sit and learn everything from the distillation process of gin to how to perfect particular cocktail recipes.
![Four Pillars Laboratory includes a drinks bar](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_17-852x639.jpg)
A quartet of spherical pendant lamps made from brushed fibreglass has been suspended overhead.
Their shape comes in direct reference to the dots that feature in Four Pillars' brand logo.
![Four Pillars Laboratory has blackened walls](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_21-852x1136.jpg)
On the other side of the first floor is the bar, dubbed Eileen's, which serves snacks and a wide selection of gin-infused tipples.
YSG decided to give the bar a discrete separate entrance on the side of the building, creating the clandestine feel of a 1920s speakeasy.
Inside, the bar is anchored by a huge V-shaped counter that has been painted juniper berry-blue. It measures 11 metres in length and sits beneath a gantry that openly displays gin bottles.
![Interiors of Four Pillars' gin laboratory are dressed with blue furniture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_28-852x1136.jpg)
Guests can cosy-up around the tables for two that run down one side of the room or at one of the checked-blue seating banquettes, each warmly illuminated by oversized linen lampshades.
Slatted walnut-stained oak screens can also be drawn across to completely separate those drinking in the bar from the adjacent tasting room.
![Four Pillars Laboratory occupies old brick building](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/09/four-pillars-laboratory-shop-interiors-sydney-ysg-studio_dezeen_2364_col_4-852x1136.jpg)
YSG was launched at the beginning of 2020 by designer Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem. This isn't the only project the studio has under its belt – in August it overhauled a family home in Sydney's Dover Heights suburb, decking out its interiors with tactile materials like terracotta brick and brass.
Photography is by Anson Smart.