Places To Eat And Drink No.8 – Tom, Dick And Harry Cafe

Our fascination for well designed Places To Eat And Drink continues – here with the cafe called Tom, Dick and Harry, located in Melbourne Australia. The space is well designed and smart looking by the design studio, Christopher Elliott Design.

Australian design is for you who followed the blog for a bit, a design scene which we follow and admire. The contemporary interior designers and architects simply seem to get it right every time! (What’s their secret?) No wonder why a design geek like myself like to add this to our design travel bucket list.

The Story Of The Project

Let’s dive in to the world of interior design and café (Restaurant) design. Tom, Dick and Harry is a café set in a cool place of South Yarra in Melbourne. The owners of Tom, Dick and Harry were friends of the design studio and was reaching out for some design advice. First, the design project was supposed to only be a few hours of design consultation and advice. These few hours of design turned into Christopher completing the design, from concept to finished space.

Design & Concept

Design…where to start?! The whole interior design shown in the interior design photographs here is simply – divine! The combination of the white painted brick wall together with the different woods creates a very interesting combination. It gives it a warmt whilst also an urban and a bit cooler feel. This is the type of spaces that Design Studio 210 blog loves and the design space that we would love to catch up with our creative friends over a coffee (or two).

One can tell by looking at the design in the space that a lot of work has been done. In fact, Christopher mentions that the interior design project as a start had more obstacles than one probably wishes for – lack of natural light and dreary finishes were among some. Lack of light and ‘a not so cool’ interior, is nothing which would have made Tom, Dick and Harry in to the next – cool place – to hang out, in South Yarra.

Luckily, Christopher with his design skills managed to turn all these design obstacles around in to a challenge and design inspiration by totally gutting the place. Starting from fresh – new materials could be applied. Wall cladding of inexpensive plywood material with a whitewash treatment were added and gave the walls an interest together with assisting in reflecting the available light throughout the rear of the interior. New flooring was incorporated and design details such as the lining board was included on the walls as to create depth and an interest. An incredible structured timber shelving system was also added and worked cohesively with the linings of the wall.

To complete such a successful design we understand that a lot of thought, preparation and smart design decisions had to be made. All in all the cleverness of Christopher Elliott and his design studio made Tom, Dick and Harry in to that cool space that the owner wished for starting the project. Well done to the design team – the Design Studio 210 blog is sending a high five over.

/ From The Design Team /

FAVORITE PART OF THE DESIGN

The real hero of the interior design is a ‘Meccano’ style timber shelving unit that extends along the main café wall and wraps around to create a screen divide between the barista’s station and the servery adjacent, which are split over two levels. This also acts as a pass-over for the two stations; creating a window effect between the spaces. This ingenious design also has a very functional purpose for the café and aesthetically creates a visual statement as soon as you enter. It encourages one to explore further into the space because it offers glimpses of the panelled walls and café that lies beyond without totally closing them off. – Christopher Elliott Design