I’m currently swooning over this brick colour for Melbourne cafe Bentwood Fitzroy set in the old Thonet showroom. In case this doesn’t mean anything to you, German heritage furniture brand Thonet were the designers of what became known as the ‘bentwood chair’, a design classic and icon that has been imitated all over the world, and now referenced in the cafe’s name.
Ritz and Ghougassian who designed the interior of the cafe paid homage to the Thonet company’s former showroom by including their iconic bentwood chairs as seating and I love how the fine joinery and light timber contrasts with the roughly painted brick walls and massive concrete pillars. Though my favourite has to be the russet red brick colour used throughout on solid and perforated metal sheeting. Interestingly it’s also used on the deep pocketed ceiling which I imagine helps with the acoustics and creates interesting shapes of light and shadow throughout the day.
Owner and local coffee connoisseur Julien Moussi, gave Ritz and Ghougassian a wonderful brief asking them to create “a unique space that pushed what a cafe should look and feel like”. In my opinion they’ve delivered exactly that and if you live in the Fitzroy neighbourhood I urge you to pop in and report back to me – I know this would definitely be one of my favourite places to hang out.
You may also fall in love with another Ritz and Ghougassian project, a courtyard extension I featured a few weeks ago here. Get ready to swoon – again!
MORE INFORMATION | Ritz & Ghougassian Studio
PHOTOGRAPHY | Tom Blachford with thanks
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