A Queensland lounge bar uses thrifty finds for a domestic fit out.
January 27th, 2010
Cairns’ entertainment precinct just got a whole lot more inviting, thanks to a hospitable domestic interior inspired by the great upstairs.
Three flights up a set of stairs, Brand + Slater Architects took the inspiration for the look of the lounge bar from the high ascent.
With a decor focussed on collected finds, the bar achieves a homely look thanks to the selected items displayed behind cabinets or mounted on the walls.
“The core idea was to design a comfortable and inviting venue that sparked nostalgic memories through the re-use of discarded domestic items, triggering memories of home and reinforcing identity,” said Simone Strushko.
“The philosophy behind ‘The Attic’ was to activate and stimulate patron’s sensory experiences by creating a texturally and spatially rich interior, reflecting the clients brief to offer a unique venue in the Cairns entertainment precinct.”
Using thrifted and recycled objects to make up the interior element, weeks were spent rescuing forgotten objects and arranging them on site.
The result is an evocative use of objects, – given a new lease of life in their new environment, where monetary value is irrelevant and sentimental appeal priceless.
Brand + Slater Architects
brandandslater.com.au
Photography by Scott Burrows (Aperture)








INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
The Geelong College’s Sport and Wellbeing Centre ‘Belerren’ designed by Wardle is designed around bringing in natural light. But Shade Factor’s job was to help modulate and precisely control it for the most important competitive moments.
The newest brand to emerge from Cosentino’s creative crucible is Ēclos, a next-generation mineral surface that embodies the organic beauty and tactility of marble in a precision-mineral surface or material.
Aeron Chair’s new shades, Nightfall and Jasper, arrive with a sense of quiet cohesion – no bells and whistles, no loud technicolour; just two timeless, perfectly versatile near-neutrals. But the new hues aren’t just about colour – and their significance is much more profound than their surface-level subtlety might suggest.
This month Dan Cox joins Hassell as Principal and he brings with him not only expertise in the sectors of workplace, hospitality and retail design but his passion for his craft along with his engaging and vital personality.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the 2026 INDE.Awards recognised the outstanding people, projects and products shaping design across the Indo-Pacific.
The latest print magazine is about to arrive! In this issue, Guest Editor Andrew Tu’inukuafe & Barrington Gohns of Warren and Mahoney push us to think, consider and collaborate.