Ella

In collaboration with GPT we developd the new Melbourne establishment, ELLA. Its name developed from its position on the corner of Elizabeth and LaTrobe Streets. Its ethos is simple; good food, good drinks, and real good times.

The eclectic community of ELLA is set up like a series of market stalls by twelve of Melbourne’s finest in food, wine, retail, work and life, including ‘Byrdi’ – the first Australian cocktail bar by award winning Luke Whearty, and ‘Colour Bowls’ – the casual sibling to Atlas Dining, which will debut a new menu focused on vegetarian Mediterranean bowls. At ELLA, you can share a selection of items from each of the different restaurants over a good bottle of BYO wine from one of our favourite tenants ‘Black Hearts and Sparrows’.

When developing the placemaking for ELLA, we took inspiration from and embraced the small personal stories of each tenant and integrated craft, consideration and quality into every touch point. We wanted to create a place of cultural exchange that stands up for diversity, innovation and damn good eating.

ELLA is where the city gets personal. Our hero positioning for ELLA was “I know this place”, which was about allowing visitors to feel like they are in the know and encourage them to share that knowledge with friends. We essentially planned the experiences visitors will have and share with others and gave this place a personality that encourages discovery.

ELLA is for the people, by the people. We didn’t want ELLA to be another ‘exclusive Melbourne Destination’, we wanted it to be welcoming and ready to be discovered.