Arcitecta
15 Little Bakers Ln
Northcote, VIC 3070
www.arcitecta.com

14-20 Best st
Fitzroy North, VIC 3068

Arkwright & Co.
611 Nicholson St
Carlton North, VIC 3054

Kumo Izakaya & Sake Bar
152 Lygon St
Brunswick East, VIC 3057
www.kumoizakaya.com.au
 

Kumo Izakaya stands proud at the corner of Lygon and O'Connor Streets in Brunswick East. The building is iconic to the area and was built in 1956 – we know this because the bricks have the souvenir Olympics rings released during the Melbourne Olympics. Originally a bank, it took us two days to cut through the vault to build the sake store.

This old bank was transformed by Bryce Ritchie (artisan builder and craftsman from Richie Built Designer Builders - winners of the Award for Sustainable Architecture 2010), who worked as lead designer in a collaborative team involving architect Victor Isobe (from Zen Design, known in Melbourne for Yu-U, Heirloom and Tempura Hajime) and owners Andre and Jo Bishop. The eclectic Japanese design style seamlessly blends industrial and Art Deco influences.

Every detail of the design at Kumo was considered and reconsidered in an meticulous process of finding a whimsical yet true balance between the beautiful bones of the historic building, which reflect the Japanese notes of its natural materials (stone, wood, concrete, steel & glass) and simple, modernist proportions; and featuring the natural synergy between industrial Japanese and Art Deco.

As the design evolved, we were inspired by the influence of Japanese art, primarily ukiyo-e woodblock prints on modernist architects (most notably Frank Lloyd Wright). The wood block prints that first arrived in Europe in the late 1880s were the seed of Art Nouveau - the new aesthetic that distinguished itself away from frilly Victorian detail & realism and towards flowing, natural, botanically-inspired shapes and simple 2D flat geometry. We saw the 'borrowed' patterns and shapes taken from the Japanese design and widely copied within Art Nouveau and, later, Art Deco an extension of Art Nouveau that simplified and moved toward a more machine-oriented and streamlined industrial aesthetic.

You'll find many recycled 'found objects' at Kumo Izakaya from the original 1956 decor as well as great use of recycled Victorian Ash and Tassie Oak (in particular the eight metre communal table, which seats 26, and the 15 metre bar, seating 18). You'll also find 1930s inspired, bespoke made bar stools and chairs (modelled on a traditional machinist's chair) with hand-crafted iron frames, and dusky dark green and blue leather seats. Special care has been taken to source hand-painted lamp shades reminiscent of those found in the State Library Reading Room - which create pools of light that welcome intimate conversation. Many of the details at Kumo were hand made by local craftspeople and we're extremely proud of our work in this project.

Brother Baba Budan
359 Little Bourke St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
www.sevenseeds.com.au


Brother Baba Budan is a small cafe with a big personality. Creativity is shown through the use of common materials, in this case, chairs used in uncommon ways. By placing chairs on the ceiling, Brother Baba creates a texture and pattern that draws the eye up, emphasising the space’s height. 

Placing shelving and displays at a higher vantage point also frees up the floor space. Brother Baba need to allow for take-away coffee sales and a communal table in the centre of the cafe.

Using recycled Tasmanian Oak and Douglas Fir as the primary material in shelving, Ritchie Built helped to keep Brother Baba a hip urban space that keeps the focus on the coffee.

Seven Seeds Cafe Carlton
114 Berkeley St
Carlton, VIC 3053
www.sevenseeds.com.au


Australian Institute of Architects State Award 2010, Sustainable Architecture

Australian Timber Design Awards 2010

Interior Design Excellence Award 2010

The project brief was to take an existing inner city warehouse and transform it into the most ecologically sustainable roastery/café facility possible. Seven Seeds required a space in which they could work, grow, test and roast coffee while also providing an educational experience for the public. This building embodies their business goal "to provide a stimulating environment that showcases a transparent relationship from farm to cup, and producing industry leading coffee."

24 Walton st
Rhyll, VIC 3923

Kamel
19 Victoria Avenue
Albert Park, VIC 3206
www.kamelrestaurant.com


Australian Design Review 2010

Whilst restauranteurs are often happy enough to hang art on their walls, few of them are inclined to let their builder have free reign on a blank canvas. At Kamel they did just that – with the courtyard in dire need of renovation, builder and artist with a nail-gun, Bryce Ritchie transformed it into an oasis. Using recycled blackbutt timber from the Woolloomooloo sheds, the deck is tongue and groove timbers and the seating is angled to create gorgeous curves.

A stunning courtyard space resembling the inside of a wine barrel or a velodrome, juxtaposed against lush foliage within a wall of rendered recycled industrial polystyrene.

Lure Hairdressing
311 Smith St
Fitzroy, VIC 3065


Dulux Colour Awards 1988, Commercial Interior 

"One's gaze is immediately sucked into the cavernous interior by the seemingly endless sugar almond pinkness within. The ceiling, walls and floor are all pink. It sounds nightmarish but it isn't; the space is so vast that the pink never seems to be closing in, as it surely would if the space were any smaller." - Max MacLean

El Chino
214 St Georges Rd
Fitzroy North, VIC 3068
www.elchino.com.au
 

Fitzroy Town Hall
201 Napier St
Fitzroy, VIC 3065
www.yarracityarts.com.au/venue/fitzroy-town-hall


Conservation / restoration of the Mayor’s Room ceiling painting at Fitzroy Town Hall.