Thanks to the long-standing partnership between the Minotti and Engelen families – the latter at the helm of Dedece for 40 years – Melbourne welcomes the new home of the Minotti monobrand.
Launched at the Russell Street address in 2006, the store now has an exciting new location in Dale Street, Cremorne – the “leading edge” design furniture destination precinct.
The award-winning CO-AP Architects were responsible for the elegant, modern design project. It features an extensive display area with large floor-to-ceiling windows and occupies two floors connected by a dramatic stairway that adds energy while visually separating the spaces.
The brand’s lifestyle and uniqueness are clearly and accurately reflected in the interior design by Minotti Studio.
Grey concrete floors and mink-color larch panels alternate with black brushed oak slats, establishing a sophisticated setting where everything conspires to recreate a brand experience as satisfying as it is complete.
Once inside, visitors enter a foyer that is the first step in an enthralling journey through a series of extremely eye-catching settings, arranged over a 330 m2 area, furnished with some of the most exemplary pieces from the Minotti collection.
Among the key pieces, the Lawrence seating system and several Jacques seating elements, flanked by a more intimate and cozy dining area furnished with the Lou table and Fil Noir chairs.
In the adjacent area, a generous composition of the Freeman seating system is paired with Creed small armchairs and a dining area is arrayed with the Bellagio table and Leslie dining armchairs.
Visible beyond this, the Andersen seating system, paired with Aston armchairs and Cesar and Still coffee tables, attracts the eye.
Placed alongside the best sellers from the most recent collections are some pieces from the Albert&Ile special edition designed by Gigi Radice and pulled from Minotti’s historic archives, re-edited this year in honor of the company’s 70th anniversary.
With the opening of the new Minotti Melbourne store, the company again sets the standard for those seeking style and sophistication in the Australian metropolis and further strengthens its presence in a rapidly-expanding market that has consistently shown its appreciation for the timeless style and quality of Minotti products.
Photography © 2018 Ross Honeysett. All rights reserved
The Architect’s Notes
Dedece’s new Melbourne showroom is housed within a former goods warehouse that is located within an industrial estate.
As such, the building’s typology consisted of a double height warehouse and loading dock fronting Dale Street with an adjoining two story administration unit at the rear.
The concept behind this project was simply to create “a room with two views”.
Existing facade openings were removed from the concrete tilt-up panel facade.
New internal structure allowed for the removal of multiple tilt-up modules to form new 4.4m high window bays at each corner and side to activate views of the park across the road and to an existing mature tree within the estate.
Internally, a T-shaped mezzanine was inserted into the double height space to form two dramatic voids framed by the new corner windows.
A large sculptural staircase was set within one of these voids to break the internal spatial symmetry.
The new glass entry vestibule was recessed under the new mezzanine soffit, providing visitors with a spatial experience where they are compressed and released into the double height voids as they explore the furniture settings.
