Client Peter Poulos approached inochi with a unique site and unique brief. Located in the evolving Cronulla beach scene, Peter sought to develop a hip and casual restaurant and bar that catered to the Cronulla crowd. Peter’s preferences – ‘Old, a vintage and eclectic style, I love old school rockabilly tattoos and writing, it needs to be urban and make the most of a long narrow site where nothing is symmetrical. I like raw brick, and interesting and surprising use of materials, the local area surf culture needs to be incorporated. This venue needs to work both during the day and as a place of choice for the in crown during the evening’.

Building on Peter’s brief, inochi farmed the rockabilly and tattoo references exploring the notion of the back alley. In keeping with the ‘urban back alley’ feel, furniture and fittings gave the impression of being fashioned from the discarded remnants of surrounding residents. The casual and ‘shared’ dining food offer drove the varied and flexible planning that offered seating options and differing ambient environments.

Vintage tattoo art combined with local grafitti was expressed through both murals and fabrics, with inochi undertaking an almost global

search for vintage tattoo inspired upholstery fabrics. Adaptive reuse, and recycled materials and furniture, provided the venue with the Peter’s desired eclectic ambience, Pecare Trading provided the replica Louis XVI chairs, which were sprayed in an array of vintage tattoo colours. Rough brick replaced traditional timber counters, and cyclone fencing was used to divide the ambient zones within the space.

Lighting made both a functional and aesthetic statement through use of trade task lighting throughout the space. In combination with the interior, inochi developed and designed the overall brand identity, including, logo, signage, menus and promotions.

Open and trading Inc has been an instant hit with the Cronulla scene, and inochi’s role Peter sums up as follows: ‘I want to thank the team at inochi for all the help and awesome ideas. It’s been four months and people still talk about how cool our place looks and they are fighting over which great looking chair to sit on. I believe the quick success we have had has a lot to do with how Inc looks and how inochi have designed it’.