Stalactites has been a staple of the Melbourne restaurant scene since 1978. It is the longest established and most well known Greek restaurant in town. So we were obviously thrilled to be asked to design Stalactites first baby offshoot ‘Hella Good’

We wanted Hella Good to have it’s own fresh and contemporary identity whilst still paying homage to the mother ship that is Stalactites. In order to do this we recreated the famous stalactites ceiling. This time using 100’s of metres of dowel, in different lengths and varying diameters to create a more modern crisp and abstract representation of the geological feature. We carried this look down the wall with half round dowel, to extend the topographical aesthetic.

We divided the tiny space up into zones, using blocked colours and materials.

The left-hand side of shop is covered in vibrant blue marmoleum, creating a pathway directly to the point of sale. The other two thirds of the interior are pale timber that extends up the dowel wall and into the cave like ceiling. A crisp white line divides these two sections, that, along with the marmoleum and timber, flow through the space and wrap up over the counter joinery. Pulling customers into the Interior.

Continuing the minimal use of materials, to create a seamless interior, the high eating table and stools are also made from the pale timber dowel, making it seem like yet another geological feature.

All of this has made Hella Good seem like a fresh, stylish and appealing cave.