Restaurateur Scott Pickett turned to Ilija Karlusic of HBA Melbourne to design Estelle by Scott Pickett (ESP) in the city—a small plates restaurant with a prominent tone-on-tone palette.

ESP’s main dining area features a wine display wall clad in smoked gray paneling, with bottles and glasses stored in dark, burnished box-like displays. 

Opposite the wine display, another wall is lined in mid-tone concrete to lend texture and “set a tone that contrasts with the beautiful colors of the food,” says Karlusic.

ESP’s focal point is a centered show kitchen toward the back that features an overhead flue finished in mirrored black metal.

The kitchen’s glossy black wall tiles contrast an array of high-end copper pots along the back shelf.

A dining area adjacent to the kitchen boasts chocolate-colored oak tables arranged over neutral carpeting.

Suspended, minimalist light fixtures provide a soft glow that complements the restaurant’s dark elements.