Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and with the Eyecare Project, OnArchitects has crafted an interior gem that provides visual surprises and delights all who visit.

The Eyecare Project is located in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn and, from a derelict retail premise, has been transformed into an engaging, innovative and practical space.

The floorplan comprises 86 square metres of ground floor space with 60 square metres on the upper level. The footprint, meanwhile, is extremely narrow at only 4.6-metres-wide. The brief required that the interior design be functional and welcoming, creative and cool and despite the site restrictions, Andy Chung, Principal, OnArchitects has achieved a wonderful result.

Chung explains: “The site was not only narrow and old, but the walls, floor and ceilings were not straight and it was a colossal task to get everything in order. So then, how do we create a focus on the shop front, without making it into an over exposed lighting setup resembling a convenience store?”

Entry from the street is to step into another world, where hard edge materiality and a minimal palette provide the backdrop for retail, offices, waiting and consultation rooms and a storage area.

At the front of the premise clients can purchase spectacles from the ultra-modern display area set into the middle of curved and meandering painted plaster walls. The long narrow space is cave-like with a high ceiling and cossets clients as they wander around the periphery of the floor to select and try product.

“The curved walls are the soft cushions for the shop and the form is inspired by the cave-like organic form but contrasted with smooth plasterboard.” Chung continues, “The glasses display areas are carved out of the white undulating walls to maximise the dominance of the curved walls.”

Positioned in the middle of this room is a freestanding Mint Ice Corian bench that contains concealed lighting and storage. There is enough room to walk around or simply sit and try on glasses and the clean design of the unit complements the pared back simplicity of the organically shaped walls. The bench becomes the focal point as a soft blue hue aside the white haze of the walls and the atmosphere is other worldly and ethereal.

Stainless steel has been utilised on the ceiling and as wall cladding at the rear of this area to delineate the retail space from the waiting and consultation rooms. The high gloss material reflects movement within and cleverly enhances and increases the spatial generosity.

Moving through a stainless-steel door, there is a stairway on the left that provides access to the offices above and a small powder room. A narrow corridor on the right leads to a waiting room fitted with grey floor tiles that extend 1.2 metres up the wall to adjoin a long bronze mirror. Beyond this is a dedicated dry eye testing area and then the optometry consultation room.

The textures and layering of colour along the corridor create subtle changes in the space that are soothing and comfortable, and the cabinetry adds to the functionality of the design.

The consultation room features a grey Corian table and more cabinetry and is anything but typical for this environment. Strategically concealed lighting warms and softens the aesthetic and helps clients to relax during an appointment.

One of the most important aspects of the interior design is the use of lighting which is integral to the ambience and success of the Eyecare Project. Less is more from Chung, with lighting that is minimal, concealed within the walls and bench or strategic, with overhead pendants in the retail area and in the surgery.

Chung comments: “The lighting achieves the right balance of ambience, the right amount of luminance and an energetic glow.”

With a challenging site, OnArchitects has achieved a singular result. The interior is bespoke and futuristic but also functional and inviting. It serves as a place to expertly display product and professionally dispense services and becomes an experiential destination. The Eyecare Project is a treat on the eye where the visual really matters.

Dianna Snape is a returning jury member at the 2025 INDE.Awards

OnArchitects
onarch.com.au

Photography
Dianna Snape

Next up: A coffee roastery by IDIN Architects