After the first Grill’d opened in Hawthorn in 2004, the restaurant has been at the forefront of the healthy burger revolution with an impressive 91 establishments throughout Australia. Continuing their scorching success, Grill’d commissioned Techné Architecture + Interior Design to create a quirky space for their new Melbourne outpost.

Led by Architect Nick Travers, Techné was challenged to create an interior design scheme that would stand confidently alongside the high-designed restaurants of its Flinders Lane neighbors, a street that functions as a hotbed for Melbourne’s premier restaurants.

Techné explored a range of different ideas for the restaurant design, taking it to a new direction never before seen at Grill’d. Spanning over two levels, the architects designed bespoke mild steel and timber stairs, dark oak flooring and concrete pendant lights over the servery area. On the top floor, a tiled terrazzo bar-top with half round Victorian Ash timber cladding helps enhance the unconventional vibe of the restaurant.

“The project design was firstly driven by the double height space we had to work with. It was asking us to fill it, so in addition to creating more floor area with a cozy mezzanine space we wanted to create an installation piece that defined the restaurant internally and externally,” explains Travers.

The major focal point in the restaurant is the cardboard tubing light feature, which can be viewed from outside the restaurant and was designed to change people’s perceptions of everyday materials. Made from low-cost, recycled cardboard tubes, the hanging light feature and wall cladding have inbuilt lighting and the visual impact of the installation compliments the height of the two story space.

“We are proud of the overall effect and ambiance of the interior design. The mezzanine dining area offers a great vantage point to watch the passing foot traffic along Flinders Lane while providing a more intimate and cozy environment as a counterpoint to the more bustling ground level space,” says Travers.

The new-look Grill’d restaurant is sure to turn up the heat in Flinders Lane with its unconventional use of materials and a playful fit-out that keeps in line with the personality of the burger brand, highlighting that great design can be made from any material and on any budget.

Photography by Tom Blachford Photography via Flaunt Marketing