Project Overview
The Tom Wills Room seamlessly blends premium dining with the storied legacy of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This high-end dining space, commissioned by MCC/Delaware North, invites members into an elegant environment reminiscent of a premier Melbournian restaurant. Featuring a design palette of dark teal, parquet flooring, black marble, and ash timber with gold highlights, the room exudes luxury and intimacy. The revitalized bar, crowned with a captivating gold ceiling lighting feature, serves as the glowing centerpiece. Soft grey and blue velour upholstery enhances the lavish ambiance, while gold mesh curtains offer flexible space management for both seclusion and engagement. Honoring the rich history of the MCG, the Tom Wills Room provides members with a unique, sophisticated dining experience that is both modern and deeply rooted in tradition.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Polly Glaysher Pagh: Creative Director / Design Lead
Jenny Chang: Senior Designer
Kristy Wilkinson: Senior Designer
Sahan Kekiriwaragoda: Designer
Sekar Himmah: Documenter
Project Brief
The objective was to transform the interior of the Tom Wills Room to create a high-end Melbournian restaurant atmosphere and provide the members with a distinctive experience. The space needed to be agile and have the ability to be reconfigured if required to cater to the different functions that would be housed. The design palette features dark teal, parquet flooring, black marble, and ash timber, accented with gold highlights. A revitalized bar with a stunning gold ceiling lighting feature serves as the room’s glowing centerpiece. Luxurious grey and blue velour upholstery and two gold mesh curtains enhance the intimate ambiance, ensuring members feel both secluded and engaged.
Project Innovation/Need
The Tom Wills Room features innovative design elements that enhance both functionality and aesthetics. A striking light fitting over the bar, with brass linear strips and illuminated sections, creates a strong visual presence and focal point. Meticulously planned seating options ensure every guest has an excellent view of the pitch, including tiered seating, intimate two-person booths, and long banquettes at stool height. Modular banquettes and low tables offer flexibility for different events.
Acoustic timber wall panels behind the high banquettes enhance sound quality, ensuring a pleasant dining experience. Custom-designed tables combine elegance and functionality, featuring white marble tops with timber edging and black marble tops with metal edging, adding sophistication to the space. These thoughtful innovations elevate the room’s aesthetic appeal and meet the diverse needs of its members.
Design Challenge
The Tom Wills Room was designed to adapt to various functions while maintaining a high-end ambiance, especially on game days. Modular, movable banquettes allow easy reconfiguration, separating seating areas from passageways as needed. Brass mesh curtains further enhance flexibility, creating intimate, private areas or opening up the space for larger gatherings.
A rapid turnaround was essential, with detailed documentation completed in just two weeks at the end of 2022 to begin construction in January 2023. This tight timeline demanded precise planning and efficient execution to meet deadlines without compromising quality.
Integrating large columns and beams into the design was another challenge. Columns were rendered with a concrete texture, and beams were clad in dark blue and brass battens, harmonizing with the overall aesthetic and adding an industrial yet elegant touch. These thoughtful design solutions ensured the Tom Wills Room was versatile and visually cohesive, meeting the dynamic needs of its members.
Sustainability
The Tom Wills Room renovation focused on sustainability by thoughtfully retaining and repurposing existing elements. Instead of a complete strip-out, which would generate significant landfill waste, the design team retained much of the original fit-out. This eco-conscious decision reduced environmental impact and preserved the room's historical character.
A notable sustainable practice was the re-cladding of the existing bar. Rather than replacing it, the bar received a new marble countertop and a brass finish, offering a fresh look while minimizing waste. Similarly, stainless steel walls were retained and covered with brass-look vinyl, aligning with the room’s new aesthetic and reducing material use.
The existing timber batten ceiling and wall finish were integrated into the new design, providing a warm, textured backdrop that complemented the sophisticated palette. Preserving these features conserved resources and maintained a connection to the room's original architectural details.
The existing entry doors and windows were also creatively utilized. The deep window frames were repurposed to create cozy niches for modular banquette seating and tables, adding charm and enhancing functionality.
Overall, the sustainable approach in the Tom Wills Room renovation ensured a stylish, functional, and environmentally responsible transformation. By minimizing waste and maximizing the use of existing materials, the project exemplified a commitment to sustainability and set a standard for future renovations.
Interior Design - Hospitality - Casual
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors where people eat and drink - this includes bars, restaurants, cafes and clubs. Judging consideration is given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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