No doubt many of our readers will nod their heads in sympathy with the designer of this café; when you have a sought-after skill, there’s no shortage of folk who just want “a bit of advice” on a project which, in truth, is actually a full-on job requiring a proper commission.
Christopher Elliott agreed to help out a friend of a friend and have a quick look over a premises that, as it turned out, needed a lot more than a few new tables and a lick of paint.
Somehow, the silver-tongued owner of Tom, Dick & Harry in South Yarra managed to convince Christopher to take on the substantial project, which involved a complete renovation in a limited time and on a limited budget. One of the main challenges was the long and thin shape of the premises, with the only source of natural light coming from the front windows and the biggest area for tables at the opposite end. The solution served to solve another problem at the same time: plywood panelling with a wash treatment not only covered up the unsightly walls to the rear, but serve to reflect that scarce natural light around the rear. Another major win was the wooden frame that wraps around the front counter and along the side wall, acting as light-porous partition, storage and display. Elliott clearly not any old Tom, Dick or Harry.
