With a brief for ‘a foodie destination strongly anchored in the character and community of the Richmond locale’ Interior Designers Anna Drummond and Trish Turner of CoLAB Design Studio) set about creating a venue that was at once contemporary and rustic.
The building had previously been occupied by a chemist and was registered as having heritage significance; whilst this placed considerable restrictions on the alterations that could be made to the shop front it also accompanied the welcome discovery of old red brick walls under the plasterboard, complete with in-filled doorways and arches.
This honest, local material was coupled with raw besser brick, timber, and concrete, and offset by simple square tiles that evoke the utilitarian surfaces of traditional fish shops.
The central communal table references the humble picnic tables found throughout parks and public places, complete with treated pine legs, and sits atop an abstraction of a picnic rug painted onto the floor. The tables also feature unique rope-entwined foot rests and ‘sleeper’ style bench seating, alluding to the idea of a fisherman’s wharf or jetty.
The remarkable coherence of branding, signage, furniture and interiors is due to CoLAB’s cross-disciplinary design approach, offering a holistic package that spans every aspect of a project’s physical and visual representation – even down to the food styling.
And the food itself sustains the mood of the fit out, offering a modern take on fish and seafood classics. Paired with a selection of the day’s catch sold by the kilo, The Fish Market represents an visually and gastronomically adroit update of the classic neighbourhood fish shop.
The Fish Shop
272 Bridge Road, Richmond, Melbourne
CoLAB Design Studio
colabdesignstudio.com.au
Phootgraphy: Estelle Judah
estellejudah.com.au