The cinematic aesthetic of filmmaker Wes Anderson is amplified across the Budapest Café in the Carlton section of Melbourne. Influenced by its predecessor in Chengdu, China, the café concept was crafted by local design firm Biasol to inspire through offbeat elements and a natural earthy color palette that complements the local design vernacular. “Minimizing the built form allowed us to maximize the space and the impact of color,” says designer Jean-Pierre Biasol, founder of his eponymous studio. “We drew on our appetite for modern abstract art, design, and hospitality to create an immersive gallery-like experience through an exploration of form, function, and color.”
Just like the magical worlds created in Anderson’s films, symmetry and one-point perspectives reign throughout the Budapest Café. Arched banquettes wrap the front of the double-height interior, while a communal bar table anchors the space. Patrons are led deeper into the space through a tunneled arch toward a back wall with a narrow stair that leads nowhere. Another staircase is similarly framed in an arched recess to encourage visitors to engage with the quirky design. The tonal palette adds a unique, two-dimension sense, with lighter hues like sand or beige used in the foreground while darker terracotta and pale orange tones adorn the background. Rust red upholstery infuses even greater depth while tubing that lines the face of the front counter contrasts with texture.
