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Traditional Indian Interior Design Is Modernised At ISH

Traditional Indian Interior Design Is Modernised At ISH

Elements of a traditional Indian fine dining restaurant have been given a contemporary twist. The resulting restaurant is right at home in the culinary precinct of Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.

The celebrated interior architect Annu Bains is also the mother of restaurateur Ganeev Bains and together, celebrating their Indian heritage, they have pieced together the latest destination restaurant – ISH –  in one of Melbourne’s finer culinary precincts, Gertrude Street in Fitzroy.

ISH is a modern Indian restaurant that effortlessly balances a tightrope between east and west, old and new – both in terms of culinary and interior design. Ganeev and his head chef, Sainyam Kapoor, bring a sophisticated edge to the Indian food palette we all know and love.

Annu took on the interior design. Having begun by studying art, design and interior architecture in both India and America, her career was kick-started by designing resort hotel rooms in India. Since then, she has gone on to complete work in residential, commercial and food and beverage spaces like ISH.

ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor sofa lougne casual seating dining

“Taking cues from the site’s heritage status, the design for ISH reflects a traditional and modern sensibility with a nod to our Indian heritage,” says Annu.

Upon entry guests are greeted with a dark and moody atmosphere, communicated through an exposed brick wall, custom black leather banquettes designed by Anna, tanned timber, and accents of brass. The brass is a reference to India’s ancient heritage, yet modernised taking the form of bespoke decorative plates and light fittings.

The brass-striped bar is another custom design by Annu, made from stained oak veneer. It works well spatially with the large communal table it diagonally faces, and the black and white-striped pews.

ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor bar seating and contemporary art work

Split across two floors, upstairs ISH takes on a slightly lighter aesthetic with white walls to counterbalance dark timber flooring. The leather banquettes are repeated, lining the walls and complemented by an eclectic mix of leather, timber and brass chairs and circular and rectangular tables.

Along the walls upstairs and down is a unique selection of artworks. Some were created in collaboration with Melbourne’s famed design studio, Studio Round, others are pieces from Annu’s personal archives. “In the upper hallway, small framed illustrations and painting depict traditional Indian fables, while monochromatic prints were made from original photos showing vignettes of Indian life I captured in India while scouting locations for a documentary,” she says.

ISH
ishrestaurant.com.au

Photography by Rhiannon Taylor

ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor exposed brick and brass highlights
ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor contemporary rustic aesthetic interior seating decoration details

ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor dining details

ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor fine dining material palette

ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor fine dining highlight colours brass

ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor table arranagement and menu graphics

ISH Restaurant Melbourne Annu Bain CC Rhiannon Taylor fine dining interior with brass highlight colours

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Author:

Holly Cunneen was the editor of Habitus and has spent her time in the media writing about architecture, design and our local industry. With a firm view that “design has a shared responsibility to the individual as much as it does the wider community,” her personal and professional trajectory sees her chart the interests, accomplishments, and emerging patterns of behaviour within the architecture and design community.