The vision for the space was to create an inviting and generous showroom space as a strong backdrop for the products. The space needed to be visually and architecturally strong but subtle enough to let the product be the focus.

Although the space is quite grand in scale, we wanted to create some quiet spaces that felt more intimate and pull more social areas such as the bar, closer to the street. back of house areas (storage, garage & toilets) were tucked under a mezzanine which sits toward the rear of the space. 

This allowed staff a view across the showroom toward the street and created a more private space for the offices and meeting areas. This zone was lined in cork to give a softer feeling to the office and also assist with acoustics. As with the timber, coir matting and paper pendants, the natural cork material adds a layer of warmth that sits against the heavier concrete and brick of the original building.

The design speaks to the local neighbourhood in its sensitive approach to renovating and restoring the somewhat grand heritage facades. The original building was primarily used to produce furniture for the Patterson Furniture building just around the corner on Smith St.

There are some really beautiful grand light-industrial buildings on the surrounding block (such as Foy & Gibson) that hark back to a time when there were factories producing goods that were then sold in grand department stores located on Smith St.

We tried to keep as much of the heritage fabric visible as we could but at the same time create a much more contemporary layer that represents where Fitzroy is at now. In some ways the new project is quite refined, but deliberately not too polished so that it feels settled and part of the local surroundings.