Channelling the spirit of mid-century California, Melbourne set/interior designer Danielle Brustman has gone to town on this new Brunswick bar, it’s all skimpy swimwear by a 1960s Palm Springs pool party, art deco grandeur and vintage elegance. Sat atop The Retreat – a historic Melbourne hotel that’s no longer a hotel, but a suitably hip little joint all of its own – Amelia Shaw Bar & Salon masters the art of retro dextrously, Brustman is not messing about here, this is a designer with unwavering vision.
The hand-painted geometric murals offer up some Miami Beach cool, whilst the sheer array of unconventional vintage pieces – such as 1960s Japanese hotel lobby light fixtures – afford the space a kind of ‘living museum’ vibe; don yourself a pastel blue suit, quaff some of the bar’s ’60s inspired cocktails, and you could easily find yourself floating away into another world, especially with the promise of “unusual cabaret and musical lineups”.
It’s easy to splash retro around like a bad perfume, but to literally transform a space with swathes of retro authenticity; that’s when something becomes special, very special indeed.
Photography © Emma-Jane Johnston
