The fitout of the new Jimmy Grants restaurant by George Calombaris in Ringwood takes inspiration from the quintessential Australian back shed.
Located at Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood within the new open-air hospitality precinct, the restaurant is the latest Jimmy Grants fitout to be designed by local studio, Technē Architecture, following their work on the Fitzroy and Emporium stores.
The fifth incarnation of the souvlaki restaurant, Eastland is host to the first Jimmy Grants ‘Deluxe’ store, being larger than its sibling restaurants and featuring an extended menu and table service. The design of each Jimmy Grants location represents a different part of the fictional character’s migration story. The Eastland brief sought a design that would reference a back shed but with a modern twist.
Technē has incorporated wooden trusses across the ceilings, which can be seen from the street through the higher-level glazing, to give the space a shed-like structural feel. Fibreglass embedded polycarbonate lines sections of walls and roof, creating a contemporary contrast and feel. This feature is particularly striking at night when the space is illuminated from within, and the light diffuses through the polycarbonate making the space glow with warmth.
Visual continuity is maintained between the various Jimmy Grants locations, with each store featuring varying shades of blue throughout the interiors. The Eastland venue boldly contrasts the traditional blue tones with a shade of orange on the bar stools and tables.
Technē director Nick Travers says they have placed subtle, rustic furnishes throughout the space to evoke the feeling of a back shed, including suitcases, trays of bottles, tools, watering cans and an old accordion.
The result is an environment that replicates the feeling of Melbourne’s inner city within Ringwood’s new open-air hospitality precinct, ‘Town Square’, in the newly redeveloped Eastland Shopping Centre.
Image: Jimmy Grants Eastland (Photo: Tom Blachford)
