NAME: LA LUNE
LOCATION: EAST FREMANTLE, WA
DESIGN FIRM: REZEN STUDIO
PERCHED ON THE CURB of the jacaranda-dotted George Street in Perth’s history-steeped suburb of. It’s no surprise the restaurant has been shortlisted for the 2023 Australian Interior Design Awards (hospitality design); it’s alluring and enigmatic all at once. Award-winning boutique design practice Rezen Studio was tasked with creating a homely space that felt simultaneously lively and intimate no matter the number of patrons. By taking inspiration from historic railway stations and neighbourhood bistros in Paris’s Saint Germain and New York’s Nolita through a Western Australian lens, Rezen designed a space in which “decorative and embellished moments could sit comfortably alongside more functional and industrial elements,” says Rhys Bowring, director of Rezen Studio. This is realised through details like the double-bullnose bar edge and a lustrous red curtain that hangs in a doorway. This balance between practicality and adornment is brought to life through the building in which La Lune now exists, which has a varied history as a warehouse, shop and cafe. To embody such an equilibrious style, Rezen was able to “retain and heighten the existing depth and texture and work it into a cohesive and new experience.” The result is a lived-in feeling emanating from a fresh space, a nod to the past dancing with the buzz of excitement that comes with something new.
