2015 Gallery
Winner: Best Cafe Design
Studio You Me for The Kettle Black
Victoria
Sitting under a beautiful Victorian double story terrace and a modern residential building tower The Kettle Black exudes a quiet confidence, The light filled cafe is elegant, warm, authentic and hand crafted. It’s personality is both genuine and feel-good with a friendly hustle .
The Kettle Black is welcoming and open to all, loved by die-hard locals and when remembered, will always draw a smile.
Jury Citation
The Kettle Black sits at the apotheosis of cafe design right now light, airy, spacious, where everything is carefully considered yet it all comes across as insouciant in the extreme. Theres a knowing nonchalance to the asymmetry of the mosaic-floored entry with its deliberate juggling of disparate materials an ordinary concrete construction pipe transformed through a lining of brass into a classy washbasin pretty much sums it up. Elegantly compelling, the lobby promises a stylish, poised dining experience that fills a unique niche between cafe and restaurant. And the dining rooms flanking the entryway fulfil that promise, with their warm oak joinery, brushed brass display racks and cheeky pistachio-coloured seating. One half of The Kettle Black occupies the ground floor of a Victorian manor, the other the base for a rather brutal new build. The skill is in melding those extreme contexts into a gracious new whole. The touch is light, but the effect is one of gravitas.
