Key Dates
Image Credit : Two local Melbourne photographers, Michelle Despot (@thetradieagency) and Piers Fitton (@piersfitton_photo_) were used for the photography
Project Overview
Following the success of sibling restaurant in Sydney which launched in 2013, Mejico Melbourne was born out of redefining the customer experience through a contemporary design ethos fused with theatre and heightened by nostalgia.
Pink Alley adjoining the historic Collins Quarter Building has been stunningly transformed into an edgy full service restaurant with an intimate tequila bar and cocktail lounge located on the first floor.
Think a bold, eclectic and fun walking the tight rope with historic preservation.
Organisation
Team
Gabriella Libertini - Interior Designer Joelene Cutajar - General Manager, Build & Design
Project Brief
To transform Pink Alley Bar and courtyard located at the rear of the adjoining historic Collins Quarter pub, into a full-service restaurant with an all-weather courtyard dining and a shared kitchen with sister restaurant, Indu. An important consideration was to relocate the entrance to the venue from Collins Street to the rear laneway located on Pink Alley, making use of the newly regenerated area close to the 80 Collins Street development.
We set out to recreate and localise the vibe and fun communal dining experience of the founding restaurant, and bring it home to Melbourne. Partnering with some incredibly talented local artists including Ash Keating and preserving the authenticity of the existing architecture was integral to our design ethos.
Project Innovation/Need
We have transformed the iconic venue into a unique and purposeful sensory cultural fiesta heightened with nostalgia. From the very moment patrons take their first step into the hip venue through the black and pink striped lined walls, they are greeted by a vibrant theatrical oversized hand-painted skull which doubles as a host stand.
Classic black powder coated birdcages enclosed with skeletons, skulls and vines hang from the roof top of a reengineered all-weather glass-style courtyard which protects diners from Melbourne’s weather elements all year round.
A rotisserie is also located in the courtyard which brings the theatre of dining to life. Surfaces surrounding the enclosed communal dining areas are infused by hand-painted mandalas and murals by local artist Ash Keating.
The upstairs tequila bar lends itself to become a hotspot for late night party goes whilst also available as an exclusive area for private functions.
Lighting has been used throughout the design not only to serve the functional purpose of illuminating the room but to also heighten the sense of nostalgia and replicate the fiesta lights lining the streets and homes in Mexico. The neon 'hola' sign is also featured amongst a vertical garden within the enclosed all-weather glass courtyard.
The shared kitchen with neighboring sister venue, INDU, maximises the foot plate of the dining areas to cater for a communal and flexible space.
Design Challenge
Transforming the space into two new restaurants with two different entrances at alternative ends of the premises whilst executing two vastly diverse design visions, influenced from two continents. All whilst sharing the same kitchen.
We needed to ensure that the existing bar and restaurant services were minimally compromised to achieve the desired dining settings and create a welcoming, warm and convivial dining experience despite the cold venue with an existing structural courtyard.
The conceptual designs stage commenced in early 2020, immediately prior to the global pandemic. With site visits and contractors on site restricted, and logistic challenges and budget constraints sourcing samples and materials, it added an unfamiliar complexity to the project.
We made the bold decision to commence the fitout amidst Melbourne’s second lockdown and continued to conduct site visits via Zoom.
We imagined the impossible and the impossible we delivered.
Sustainability
Our design ethos was to reuse, recycle and refine as much of the existing materials of the warm shell, as possible. All of the original flooring finishes were retained and no alterations were made to the egress/ingress of the layout. We simply wanted to conserve and highlight the true authenticity of the iconic venue and instill a sense of community by commissioning some incredibly talented local artists for wall finishes.
In lieu of replacing the louvre windows on the tequila bar located on the first floor, a vinyl covering was opted on handful of louvre to create a similar impact. We retained the structural integrity of the existing dispense bar to minimise any demolition and removal of materials from site. A courtyard tree planter was transformed into a seating area with agaves planted as a cultural-appropriate foliage option to stay true to our design ethos.
Where possible, we sourced local materials to ensure minimal items were procured outside of Melbourne.
Interior Design - Hospitality - Luxury
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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