Charles Sandford

Angus & Bon restaurant fit-out, Prahran.

The brief given to interior designers Bergman & Co. by restaurateur Liam Ganley, was to create a space for Angus & Bon that evoked the spirit of the classic New York steakhouse. Working within the stately old Prahran Post Office, they've created a restaurant that is at once nostalgic and forward looking. Having worked with Liam on previous projects, we were engaged to manufacture a host of elegant timber elements.

Semicircular booth seating and round timber tabletops look sophisticated and feel welcoming.

To retain the considerable character of the original building, and also for reasons of efficiency and sustainability, existing wood panelling was retained throughout. The new insertions into the space were then designed to complement the materiality and style of the panelling. There are semicircular booths matched with circular timber tables, banquette seating, a curved entry cabinet filled with plants selected by an arborist, a curved step and a series of beautiful turned planters.

Patrons enter past a curved entry cabinet displaying pot plants.

Turned timber planters introduce an explicitly handmade element to the interior. 

The project encompassed a broad range of our woodworking services, from architectural components and cabinetry to woodturning and furniture. For us, it was a great opportunity to contribute to almost every aspect of the interior, and extend ourselves from producing a single element in a space to providing timber components throughout. The fact that we can now sit at one of the tables we made and enjoy a fantastic steak is just a bonus!

Photographed by Eugene Hyland.