Virginia Plain, the new restaurant by Marco Santucci has opened in a long space located above Craft Victoria on Flinders Lane.

Marco designed the space from the ground up structurally and aesthetically. Marco’s vision was to create a contemporary and elegant dining bar space. Marco was on site everyday physically building and working on the space and personally oversaw every detail of the project.

At 440 square metres, it’s a huge room with walls that feature slices of agate mounted on brackets lit from behind, while the striking, bell-shaped lights that hang above the bar were made by Richmond-based glassblower Phil Stokes. The agate slices work brilliantly as wall sconces. A blend between a jewel like rock and very minimal functional mount bridges material and design perfectly.

It’s textured and warm, with the front area of the room dressed with floating marble tables designed by Marco and artwork by collaborative artists Robert Doble and Simon Strong.

The site was large to start with. It has an unusual entrance stepped up from street level. With great height and windows running the length of the space it was a real beauty waiting for some attention.

One of the main ambitions with Virginia Plain is to create an offering that de-gentrifies what the industry has largely become. In a studio/artspace the focus has been to create something original. That is intimate, classically modern, organic, sensual and playful.

At the centre of the space is an 18 metre bar that talks of our social nature. The Bar is the first thing that greets you and leads you through the dining space and is the medium that gels the product to the patron. Music is only played on vinyl on classic 80’s Pioneer decks powered by a brilliant Luxman valve power amp. Furnishings and encoutrement are handcrafted specifically for Virginia Plain. The floors are a weave of American Oak parquetry with lush carpet in the front dining area.

Light fittings are all handmade by Karl Millard. Handmade pieces, no down lights, just pendants to create a depth of field to take the flatness out of the space.

The venue uses all organic materials - no synthetics - such as lots of granite, marble, American oak, cypress, woolen fabric, copper and glass lighting, and agate slice sconces, all of which aid in giving the place an organic, sensual and timeless aesthetic.

Of note is the special floating large sculpted communal tables, suspended off the I beam with a hand. They are extremely unique and quite an engineering feat, daring and very resolved as when you are in there people don’t really realize that they are 400kg of floating marble.