Three Blue Ducks Melbourne by Pattern Studio.

Pattern Studio has unveiled their scheme for Three Blue Ducks’ newest venue at Australia’s premier surf park, Urbnsurf in Melbourne. After previously designing the interiors throughout the precinct, the studio explains they were tasked to create the group’s largest and most operationally complex restaurant to date. The brief called for “a destination venue that would lure Melbourne diners out of the city and into the airport suburb of Tullamarine”. In the process, the Sydney duo has injected soul and character into a commercial space.

The 400-seat restaurant is indeed an expansive undertaking, yet the design ensures that diners will feel comfortable both dropping in for a coffee or enjoying a full-service dinner with friends. The studio explains that their response is largely inspired by the raw and energetic soul of surf culture, resulting in a welcoming interior that softens the often-harsh shell of commercial recreational facilities. Pattern Studio describes the final result as “a warm and tactile semi-industrial space richly layered with natural materials, colours and textures.”

Related: Urbnsurf Recreation Facility in Tullamarine by Pattern Studio.

Sitting poolside overlooking a sparkling lagoon the site’s envelope has an industrial aesthetic, featuring large steel beams and polycarbonate. This has been wholeheartedly embraced in the new scheme and paired with stairs, balustrades, and walls coated with galvanised aluminium detailing. Australian blackbutt timber covers the walls and floors on the upper mezzanine level, while Shou Sugi Ban charred timber colours the walls and bar fronts on the ground floor. The warmth that comes from these natural materials sits in juxtaposition to the harshness of concrete and steel, creating interiors that feel fresh and contemporary. Framed prints from surf photographers Woody Gooch and Nick Green, along with the faded colours from Moroccan rugs, inject restrained colour and texture into the space, complementing the refined palette of materials.

“The interiors feel of the moment without being overly trendy, this commitment to timeless, quality design echo’s the client’s progressive sustainable practices,” Pattern Studio explains. “We endeavoured to create a restaurant that appeals not only to the surfers who will visit the wave garden but to a considerably broader clientele of food-loving patrons.”

Related: Locura Bar in Byron Bay by Pattern Studio..

[Images courtesy of Pattern Studio. Photography by Traianos Pakioufakis.]