The former editor-in-chief of Vogue Entertaining + Travel and Vogue Living Sharyn Storrier Lyneham sells digital-print fabrics through her online company Edit. Here she shares the secrets of her home city.
Read more Ask a Local city guides here
FOOD AND DRINK
Potts Point is one of the most attractive parts of the city, with tree-lined streets, art deco buildings and a quasi-French atmosphere. My favourite restaurant there is The Apollo (theapollo.com.au), where Greek fare is served in a stunning interior by George Livissianis.
Fratelli Paradiso (fratelliparadiso.com) is the best spot for classically delicious Italian food, and new Cho Cho San (chochosan.com.au) for Japanese. Or take a stroll along the waterfront at nearby Woolloomooloo, where there is a great choice of restaurants. Break up a Surry Hills tour with a pastry from the Bourke Street Baker (bourkestreetbakery.com.au) and in the Paddington/Woollahra district, go for coffee and a panini at Paddington Alimentari on Hopetoun Street.
In the evening, check out my local favourite - Bistro Moncur at Woollahra Hotel (woollahrahotel.com.au) - or try for a table at Fred's (merivale.com.au/freds), the hottest place in town. At Sean's Panaroma (seanspanaroma.co) at Bondi Beach, produce comes from the chef's Blue Mountains farm and the views of Sydney's iconic beach are sublime.
SHOPPING
At Potts Point, my shopping highlights include Becker Minty (beckerminty.com), which offers an enviable mix of furniture, art, objets and fashion, including vintage and contemporary jewellery. Grandiflora (grandiflora.net), run by cutting-edge florist and fragrance innovator Saskia Havekes, is a favourite haunt of mine, as is the Potts Point Bookshop (pottspointbookshop.com.au) - a constant source of inspiration.
Surry Hills and Redfern are the best districts for a design fix. I'm interested in craft and all things handmade, so Planet (planetfurniture.com.au) - a shop which espouses the use of natural, sustainable materials - is a must.
Among the international design pieces at neighbouring store Hub (hubfurniture.com.au) is a newer collection by young Australian design star Henry Wilson. Chee Soon & Fitzgerald (cheesoonfitzgerald.com) is a treasure trove of vintage, handmade and one-off homewares, furniture and fabrics from around the world; I love it in there.
My personal stamping ground is in and around Paddington and leafy Woollahra, which is one of Sydney's prettiest districts for casual wandering. For fashion, Jac + Jack, Bassike and Lee Matthews at The Intersection (theintersectionpaddington.com.au) are all great Sydney labels doing simple, chic clothing. Take a walk down William Street, too - a hidden gem with great boutiques of up-and-coming designers. While in the area, do not miss the Olsen Gallery (olsengallery.com) on Jersey Road, where owner Tim Olsen often exhibits the works of rising stars such as Sophie Cape and Luke Storrier.
Running parallel is Queen Street, which is home to Victor Churchill (victorchurchill.com) - a butcher's shop with wonderfully creative window displays and knock-out interiors - as well as Quincy (quincy.com.au) for shoes and Lesley McKay's Bookshop (lesleymckay.com.au). Australia has several truly creative jewellery designers: among the best are Dinosaur Designs (dinosaurdesigns.com.au) - there are three stores in Sydney - and Lucy Folk (lucyfolk.com). A visit to her shop at Bondi can be perfectly combined with a trip to the beach.
ACCOMMODATION
For design lovers, the semi-industrial chic Old Clare Hotel (theoldclarehotel.com.au) ticks all the boxes: exposed brickwork, wood panelling and vast windows creatively combined with upcycled furniture. Its arrival has been instrumental in the transformation of the formerly insalubrious Chippendale district and its rooftop bar and pool are among Sydney's finest. There are three restaurants overseen by acclaimed chefs, including Kensington Street Social by British superstar chef Jason Atherton. Double rooms cost from about $350 (£215).
