Image Credit : Mámor Chocolates
Project Overview
Mámor translates to "ecstasy" in Hungarian, so our goal in this project was to create a level of pleasure that transports you back to Old Europe as you enjoy your Indulgent High Tea and Exquisite Chocolates in a most unexpected pocket of Melbourne. When you step into our baroque Chocolate & High Tea Szalón, we wanted you to immediately capture our brand by being transported back to Old Europe, to the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, whence the proprietors have come. We interviewed designers and chose TDCreative of Richmond because Peter and Lori Dietze immediately "got" our concept. Some call it a “bordello without a bed”, and that suits us just fine! The Sunday Age “M” magazine called our Szalón “Thinking man's foreplay” and The Australian Travel section called us “One of Australia's Seven Secret Destinations”. Our word of mouth and social media advertising campaign has led to "reservations only" weeks in advance.
Organisation
Mámor High Tea & Chocolates Szalón
Team
Dr Hanna Frederick - Owner and Chocdiva
Dr Howard Frederick - Marketing/Brand Manager
Lori Dietze - TD Creative Richmond
Peter Dietze - TD Creative Richmond
Barry Dovey - Master Builder
Assorted tradespeople
Project Brief
We want you to marvel at the antique walnut glass-doored cupboards bedecked with mirrors and betopped with marble counters, on which sit trays of our signature chocolate truffles. We craved something unique in all of Melbourne, lavishly furnished and upholstered with antique chairs and divans, chandeliers bespeckled of crystals, plush velvet pillows, silver accessories sparkling to the glint, and traditional cutlery and crockery. All tea settings had to be antique and imperial, with gold and silver, and rich tablecloths. Our shop window is decorated with seasonal motifs and outlandish art. The concept arose from our research back in Austria and Hungarian looking at dozens of the best examples of the Tea-Room and Kaffee-Haus style of the old Monarchy. We want to hit a culinary nerve in the Melbourne high-class food degustation market.
Project Need
The “High Tea Market” has definitely hotted up, but we wanted to position ourselves as unique, artisan and handmade, unlike the massified hotel high tea scene. We are very personal: Not only do our customers remember our unique décor, we also greet by name and remember our customers. Our goal was to have the Szalón contribute to this intimacy. We designed an environment where people not only enjoy the degustation; they can also enjoy one another in intimate and personal conversations and celebrations. We wanted people to admire the physical spectacle but then turn to the internal ‘personal spectacle’ of the High Tea Experience. Our Szalón allows that protocol to emerge in its splendor; this is what contributes to our repeat customer base even within the few months of opening. The finest detail-- down to the way the spoons are placed and the design of the elegant menu--contribute to a much-remembered experience for our elegant patrons.
Design Challenge
Our greatest design challenge was assembling the array of items and juxtaposing them in just the right way that make up our Szalón brand. This meant sourcing Italian marble, French mirrors, and English china. Rural Victoria provided silver and gold. Throughout the world we had to look for particular baroque furniture that would pleasure the eye. Beyond this was how to create the three-dimensional cornices and to source the unique baroque elements. Many of the more utilitarian items were collected on our travels and assembled to outfit this culinary environment. Most challenging was breaking through the walls of two heritage Victorian buildings and unifying them into another historical epoch. Small and large decisions on everything from font style to the masterful art pieces that bedeck the walls. Needless to say, it was a great challenge to outfit an old building to modern standards. And to integrate the Szalón into the electronic environment with a vibrant website and high interactive social media. We believe that we are part of a “bohemian” revival of our bit of the world.
Sustainability
We have a two pronged policy—local and global sustainability. On the global level, because chocolate has some of the highest food miles--it comes from West Africa through Europe to Australia--we wanted to create a more local alternative. To this end we are building a chocolate factory in the Pacific island of Samoa. To reduce our carbon emissions, and to positively contribute to the biosphere through carbon sequestration, in Samoa we use sustainable renewable bioenergy technologies. Organic agricultural waste and purpose-grown bioenergy crops are converted in a biomass gasifier into syngas, or are fed into a biodigester to produce methane. At the local level, we keep our waste down to the level of a two-person household from all of our customers. Our smart meter helps us quantify our energy consumption and make savings/efficiencies. We utilise climate-smart and sustainable practices to chocolate and serve our high tea guests using locally grown ingredients with the lowest carbon emissions. Our focus is on organic, sustainable and fairtrade products, and eliminating the middle men.
Interior Design - Retail
This award recognises building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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