little creatures dining hall
The main objective of the Little Creatures Dining Hall project in Melbourne was to add a sense of intimacy and to offer a diversity of customer experiences within the large open hall. We were also asked to address the venue’s engagement with the street and entry point, which was intimidating and awkward for some patrons. In general the design resolution was to relocate patrons to where new arrivals could instantly engage with them and to scale down the feel of the main hall by sectioning it into smaller and more intimate dining experiences.
The main hall was broken up into different dining experience using furniture, partitions and lighting. The existing booths, often the first seats taken, were relocated from the perimeter walls where people could hide away, to the middle of the venue. This utilised their popularity to the venue’s advantage by locating the early patrons in centre of the hall, which is the first thing people see once inside the entry.
The brief also included extending the upstairs office area and adding a new boardroom, which was located with a view over the main hospitality area. Custom bradleycole pendants lights were formed with Little Creatures pint beer bottles to add to the company’s subtle branding approach.
From a brand perspective, the internal architecture was conceived mindful of the company’s utilitarian and communally focused philosophy. The design resolution is a considered attempt at creating engaging spaces that still feel “under-designed”, and that allow for an organic layering of identity over time by it’s occupants. Cultural branding is vital to the success of hospitality venues and indeed all businesses, and understanding and strengthen a company’s brand is integral to bradleycole’s design approach.
bradleycole also supplied all LED luminaires and associated lighting products.