LUCY LIU
2014
‘Against a solid brick backdrop, soaring layers of timber battens, textured concrete and smooth steel create the theatre of dining for a pan-Asian menu. This time the entry is flipped to a quintessential Melbourne moment down a bluestone lane through a tight back door marked by red neon.’
Lucy Liu continues a series of restaurant interiors that explore a heightened relationship between front-of-house as performance space and the kitchen as backstage, achieved through the insertion of finely layered elements within a stripped-back tenancy shell. Against a backdrop of exposed brick, layers of timber battens, textured concrete and smooth steel establish a theatrical setting for a pan-Asian dining experience.
Entry is reoriented to a quintessential Melbourne moment — down a bluestone laneway and through a compressed rear doorway marked by red neon. This deliberate constriction heightens the sense of arrival, with the space then unfolding vertically to exploit the existing height. Timber elements fold and overlap like bamboo scaffolding, opening the volume while simultaneously creating moments of intimacy.
An open kitchen occupies one side of the room, presenting the preparation of food as part of the performance, with dishes distributed through a cluster of high tables. The main dining area is arranged with low tables set beneath layered timber planes and heavy cantilevers, crossed by a shifting shadow play of battens. Along the Russell Street edge, booths provide a more enclosed setting for larger groups, immersed in a red-lit atmosphere against brick walls and tall windows.
Opposite, a bar runs the length of the laneway wall, composed of brick, stone and steel, with timber shelving rising between windows to illuminate bottles. High tables are dispersed in front, supporting a more informal mode of dining. The sequence concludes back onto the street through the red glow, leaving the impression of having briefly occupied another world.
The project celebrated its ten-year anniversary in 2024 and remains as vibrant and spatially compelling as the day it was completed, continuing to operate precisely as intended.
The identity, also designed by March Studio, quickly established itself as a recognisable and almost heroic presence across social media. Developed during a research trip to Shanghai, Rodney Eggleston sketched the logo on the back of a bus ticket in a local market. The drawing was handed directly to a stamp maker, who carved it on the spot from jade. Once stamped, the mark was refined and embedded into Melbourne’s cultural fabric.
-
RESTAURANT
-
COMPLETE | 2014
-
WURUNDJERI WOI WURRUNG | MELBOURNE | VICTORIA
-
BUILDER | CBD CONTRACTING
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER | CO-STRUCT
-
PETER BENNETTS
-