At Above The Clouds Melbourne Store, Pattern Explores Restraint as a Form of Richness.

Watching a young practice mature without losing its edge is incredibly satisfying. Pattern Studio—the Byron Bay and Sydney-based practice led by Lily Goodwin and Josh Cain—have just completed Above The Clouds’ second store at 80 Collins Street in Melbourne CBD. This is exactly the kind of project that reminds me why they’re one of my favourite studios working in Australia today.

These two are proper designers and thinkers. Always have been. But with each project, they seem to dig deeper, think harder, and somehow manage to exceed expectations, not because of how things look (though they always look bloody good), but because of how things feel and the layers of consideration that inform every decision.

Above The Clouds’ 320-square-metre Melbourne store represents a quiet evolution for the brand and the design practice. Where the fashion retailer’s Surry Hills flagship (also by Pattern) introduced a theme of “unexpected, intermingling dualities,” this Collins Street iteration explores what happens when restraint becomes a form of richness.

The space Pattern inherited here had been recently refurbished—a reality that might have frustrated others into starting from scratch. Instead, Lily and Josh embraced the logic of reuse, allowing existing conditions to inform each design decision. “We carefully balanced creativity with restraint,” the dup explains, “to achieve an altogether new aesthetic and experience for the store, while minimising unnecessary and wasteful discarding of elements.”

Opposites Attract: Above The Clouds Store by Pattern Studio.

This interior unfolds as a celebration of dualities—seemingly disparate concepts co-exist harmoniously, generating a fresh and honest aesthetic.

This philosophy feels particularly meaningful given that the partners in work and life have recently become parents. Perhaps it’s the reflection of placing added responsibility on their young shoulders—this deep thinking about the future of our world that now informs their practice. There’s a maturity here that speaks to designers who understand their role extends beyond creating beautiful spaces.

Pattern’s approach is grounded in understanding how people move through and experience space. Their design responses emerge from observing human nature and interaction, encouraging exploration and engagement rather than passive consumption. This philosophy—applying essential layers of significance while adding poetry through surface texture—is evident throughout the project.

The store’s hero element—a luminous ice-blue rotunda inspired by the Colosseum—serves as both a functional footwear display and a sculptural centrepiece. It’s a sophisticated evolution of the temple-like sneaker wall that made such an impact at the Surry Hills store. Where that eight-metre wall glowed softly in reverent homage to sneaker culture, this whirling, 360-degree structure offers dual-sided shopping accessibility while its controllable RGB lighting transforms the upper floor into a glowing presence visible from Collins Street after dark.

Pattern’s material palette continues their exploration of dualities, but with greater restraint than their first Above The Clouds project. Where Surry Hills celebrated bold contrasts between scaffolding and pastels, Melbourne’s approach is more nuanced. Gently undulating Rock Maple point-of-sale units sit alongside raw strand board surfaces, while a plush, moss-like carpet adds unexpected softness underfoot.

These aren’t arbitrary aesthetic choices, but carefully considered layers that invite touch and discovery. The poetry Pattern speaks of adding through surface texture is tangible here: the strand board’s deliberate roughness against the rotunda’s smoothness, the soft give of carpet beneath feet navigating between harder surfaces. Display elements in sorbet hues—lemon, cucumber, and mandarin—punctuate the largely neutral scheme as what the studio calls “palette cleansers,” creating moments of delight that encourage customers to explore rather than simply browse.

The Future is Now: Song for the Mute Sydney Flagship by Pattern Studio.

It doesn’t take being a design buff to recognise that Pattern have encapsulated something sort of remarkable at 350 George St. Inserted into the original high street is a glimpse of the future, and the future is Song for the Mute.

The dissolved boundaries between store and street reflect Above The Clouds’ community-focused approach. It’s retail interior architecture with urban engagement sensibilities. The refreshed facade transforms the relationship between interior and Collins Street, creating curiosity and invitation rather than barriers.

What I’ve always known about Pattern is that they’re a special kind of gem. Their approach to every brief comes from genuine care about doing good, being responsible, and making work that’s essential rather than self-serving. This store captures their ethos perfectly, and it’s not difficult to see why the client has tapped them for their second space. The two feel like kindred spirits.

“Above The Clouds has always moved to its own rhythm, existing somewhere between streetwear, luxury, and something else altogether—always with an element of the unexpected,” says the duo. “This new store reflects that ethos: adaptable, open-ended, and firmly rooted in community. It is a place made not just to house product, but to hold energy—a layered, lived-in space that invites return.”

Pattern continues to prove that thoughtful design isn’t about dramatic gestures—it’s about deep consideration of context, community, and responsibility. From that first temple-like sneaker wall in Surry Hills to this luminous rotunda in Melbourne, they’ve shown how retail spaces can evolve while maintaining their soul. In a world that often demands the new over the necessary, their approach feels refreshing and essential.

A Peculiar Beauty: Deiji Studios Byron Bay by Pattern Studio.

Like an orchestra of obscure instruments, this store creates a considered and beautiful—if slightly offbeat—experience. Each component was designed or selected for its unique charm, a quality that speaks to the essence of Deiji.

[Images courtesy of Pattern Studio. Photography by Tom Ross.]