Gordon Street Garage
Where Industry
Meets Italy
Nic Trimboli
Northbridge, Perth
Hospitality
Completed
Martina Gemmola
Shortlisted, Eat Drink Design Awards 2013, Best Cafe Design
Formally a mechanic’s workshop and based on the ideal of an Italian garage – filled with pots of passata, freshly hung pasta and bottles of homemade wine, Gordon Street Garage provides warmth and energy to a sleepy industrial area of West Perth. The concept developed around ‘classic Italian home cooking’ informed the interior treatment and references the Italian ideal. Mediterranean blues and whites underpin a collection of hand painted tiles over the service bars clad in zinc.
The large space was zoned to create a wide range of dining experiences; faster seating in front of house comprises of stools, smaller tables, a communal dining area and standing areas for a quick coffee. The folded zinc bar takes centre stage in the middle of the space, providing less formal ‘bar’ style seating. Back of house is dedicated to slower dining with softer banquette seating and more family style dining under the mezzanine.
The space is accommodating and generous. Intimate dining is ideal for small groups, while large communal tables in the front of house and upstairs in the mezzanine allow for large groups to gather. Like the Italian garage, the concept from which the restaurant was created, the space emulates a warmth and feeling of community and family in which all guests are a part of.