Hassell received an award in the category of Interior Design, Hospitality at the 2011 Melbourne Design Awards on 6 October. The award was for the firm’s work on Outpost Dining Room, Mopho Noodle Bar and Deba Sushi Bar on South Yarra’s Yarra Lane – three dining venues that aim to create a village high-street feel and encourage an active and vibrant street life.
Each of the three venues has its own unique identity, with shopfronts designed to reflect the dining character of the interiors.
Outpost offers home-style dishes in a communal dining space. The aesthetic is simple, warm and welcoming; this is demonstrated through its recycled shopfront and artwork.
Mopho Noodle responds to its chef’s pan-Asian dishes with elements of a hawker’s bazaar and abstract imagery of cheeky Shanghai models from the 1950s.
Deba takes its name from the Japanese carving knife deba bocho, designed for strength and precision. Deba Sushi Bar has a quiet and contemplative atmosphere, and is a respite from the hustle and bustle of the lane.
Hassell’s interior designers Scott Walker and Rebecca Trenorden led the project team, in collaboration with Bird dela Coeur architecture.
