AT AUSTRALIA'S REVAMPED PRAHRAN HOTEL—NOT AN ACTUAL HOTEL, BUT A GASTROPUB IN MELBOURNE'S VIBRANT PRAHRAN NEIGHBORHOOD—IT'S TIME TO ROLL OUT THE BARREL. ENLISTED TO CREATE SOMETHING "OUTLANDISH," TECHNé ARCHITECTS DELIVERED WITH A FACADE OF 17 CUSTOM-MADE CONCRETE PIPES STACKED ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER. EACH OF THE WOOD-LINED ENCLOSURES IS OUTFITTED WITH LEATHER BANQUETTES AND PROVIDES A COZY NOOK FOR DRINKING AND DINING—FULLY VISIBLE TO PASSERSBY, OF COURSE. ACCORDING TO PRAHRAN CO-OWNER MATT MULLINS, THE TEAM LOOKED FOR SIMILAR PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD IN ORDER TO LEARN CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES—AND COULDN'T FIND ANY. "WE WERE MAKING IT UP AS WE WENT ALONG," HE SAYS. BUT THE PUB, WHICH HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE THE 1940s, IS MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PIPES. THE PRAHRAN BOASTS THREE BARS, AND A SHADY,…
You're reading a preview of
ELLE DECOR (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2013