The Mulberry Group attained the heritage 1930’s bather’s pavilion at Eastern Beach in Geelong in late 2018. The group is known for its restoration of hospitality venues including Higher Ground in Melbourne, previously a power station, and Kettle Black in South Melbourne, located within the ground floor of an old Victorian Terrace.
After extensive experience opening and running several Melbourne hospitality venues, Director Nathan Toleman had always wanted to do something out of Melbourne for a while. In taking over the existing heritage bather’s pavilion, Nathan’s aim was to rejuvenate the building in a respectful manner and create a relaxed, paired-back multi-functional space that would serve as a contemporary hub for the local community and beyond.
Architecture & Interior Design Description (Studio Esteta):
A re-imagined Australian beach-side café and kiosk, The Beach House harnesses a seamless food and takeaway offering through its multifunctional layout. The colour palette is light and bright with accents of sandstone, neutral tones, and light blue hues.
Located within the heritage listed Eastern Beach Bathers Pavilion Geelong, the design draws upon the context of the site and its history to reimagine and recreate the traditional beachside café and kiosk. The brief sought to revitalise the existing run-down bathers pavilion and provide the local community with a relaxed, paired-back and considered dining space, takeaway kiosk and function space.
Informed by the rural and coastal landscape of the surrounding Bellarine Peninsula, the design reflects a refined and modern, yet effortlessly relaxed space that remains sympathetic to the history of the site. This was achieved through the simple yet considered material palette and subtle yet high level of detail. The raw, honest and humble textures of the Australian landscape are further reflected through a material palette that layers materials including rendered wall finishes, soft linen curtains, warm timbers and natural stone. The light blue paint finish to the dining area draws direct inspiration from the coastal surrounding, whilst the travertine clad kitchen portal reflects the surrounding craggy cliffs and golden paddocks.
The layout of the multi-faceted eatery and function space enables a fluid and seamless spatial flow for staff and patrons. The patron is taken on a journey through the building, discovering unique moments and experiences as they move through the different spaces within. The result is a design response that celebrates Geelong’s heritage past while creating a contemporary meeting place for the local community.
The Beach House advances contemporary hospitality design practice as it demonstrates a holistic approach to the programmatic requirements of the brief, partnered with an aesthetic resolution that strategically empathizes the beauty of the existing building through considered joinery insertions and a refined yet paired-back material palette. The design response rejuvenates and injects character back into the site, enriching the lives of the local community.
The theatre of the kitchen and coffee bar, framed behind a travertine clad wall, creates a scenic backdrop within the dining space, and alongside the prominent visual connection between the dining space and the ‘public playground’ of the pool area, the design creates an all-encompassing, multisensory experience for the patron that seeks to transport one, if only momentarily. The initiative to retain the existing building structure and instill new life through sympathetic gestures, is a testament to clever, considered and sustainable design practice & planning.
The Beach House demonstrates a sophisticated and careful interpretation of the Client’s brief. A deep conceptual & site analysis has provided a design response that celebrates the existing site, its context and history. Further, it shows a holistic approach to the overall design aesthetic including a deep understanding of process and communication. The design is simple. Too often design can be unnecessarily over-embellished, resulting in unsustainable and often over-the-top outcomes. In contrast, the design considers the atmospheric qualities of the existing building and retains and reinvigorates it with minimalistic gestures, a considered and refined material palette and clever spatial planning.
