2025 Gallery

Shortlist: Best Café Design

Chris Connell Design & Benjamin Hutton for The Observatory

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, 100 Birdwood Avenue
Melbourne, VIC

Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter

Defined by spatial clarity, material restraint, and contextual sensitivity. Referencing the adjacent Melbourne Observatory and Royal Botanical Gardens, the Observatory integrates expansive glazing, celestial motifs, and natural materials to dissolve boundaries between interior and landscape - transforming the space into a permeable, light-filled restaurant rooted in narrative and place.

Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter
Interior photograph of The Observatory, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne by Earl Carter
Photography: Earl Carter