Stokehouse | TILT Industrial Design

St Kilda has an iconic new restaurant creating a buzz. Stokehouse sits just a few metres from one of Melbourne's most famous beaches.

Sydney Industrial Design studio, TILT, collaborated with Robert Simeoni Architects and owners, the Van Haandel Group, to reimagine the building.

The restaurant has a fresh new look, almost three years after a fire tore through the popular foreshore spot.

Spread over two levels, the building doesn’t try to imitate its predecessor. Instead, it pays homage to the beachside jetty, with a blackened timber-clad façade.

TILT designed, manufactured and installed the façade – a series of bi-folding screens to sit outside the restaurant windows. The screens provide protection from the sun, but can be raised to reveal beautiful ocean views.

The coastal location is a demanding environment for mechanical structures. Marine grade stainless steel was used for the fabricated structural elements – paramount for longevity and reliable performance.

The design plays host to a mix of natural materials, such as wood, leather, concrete and brick.

A man-made dune conceals the ground floor level from the street, giving Stokehouse, on the top floor, the impression of floating.

The new precinct also houses casual bar and grill Pontoon, and fish-and-chip kiosk Paper Fish.

TILT and Robert Simeoni Architects have retained the building’s character, while considering the comfort of patrons – a combination that results in the greatest