Walt & Burley is situated in the lakeside suburb of Kinston in the ACT. With direct views out across the lake, the site is in a unique location in one of Canberra’s fastest growing areas. The client required a flexible and diverse space to capture the affluent market developing in the locale. Luchetti Krelle’s concept was to have the restaurant feel like a cold climate lake house – somewhere that would feel cosy in winter but would be able to open up and take advantage of the lakeside aspect and all the sunny days Canberra gets, the most days per year of any capital city in Australia.

Luchetti Krelle took inspiration from Scandinavian influences through the use of pattern, texture and architectural elements. With glazing to three sides of the site, the challenge was to create zones for different uses in the space but limit the amount of vertical partitions and elements so the areas deeper further from the view could maintain sightlines to the lake.

The venue is divided up into three distinct zones – drinking, dining & takeaway – which respond to the client’s requirement for a morning to evening venue catering to the needs of the surrounding upwardly
mobile population.

The zones allow not only for different food and beverage offerings but also multiple ways in which to experience the space depending on whether patrons are in a hurry or have leisure time at their disposal, if they are looking for a more formal dining experience or a casual catch up with friends.

The bar and kitchen are linked but also span the full width of the space, allowing staff to keep an eye on the whole venue. The venue faces away from the main approach to the site so opening the restaurant and bar out to the sides allows a natural traffic flow. As a place designed for comfort, the menu was developed in tandem with the design to reflect this ethos. The name was developed as a nod to the architectural history of Canberra (Walter Burley Griffin) as well as the upmarket ‘taphouse’ aspect of the brief (Malt & Barley).

With the combination of location, style and ambiance Walt & Burley is a first in the Canberra food and beverage scene. Its popularity in the opening months is tribute to the fact that the population has been
crying out for a space like this. Luchetti Krelle’s design allows Canberrans to embrace the most beautiful aspects of the local landscape and to celebrate its history whilst adding another chapter to the story.

Walt & Burley pushes the envelope on design; it’s a flexible and diverse space and as such is a unique response to a unique location. By creating well-defined yet cohesive zones, the space allows the client to tell a story and provide multiple experiences to a discerning crowd. Using a wide variety of warm and textured materials provides lots of visual interest, from the fully operational stained glass sash windows above the bar, to the tiled open kitchen, to the unique ceiling feature over the dining space, to the centrepiece fireplace which is clad in copper and timber shingles. By interpreting and reinventing signature elements of a Scandinavian Lakehouse with a distinctive local twist we have created a new and innovative style of
venue on the Canberra food scene.