Jury Cafe is located within the bluestone walls of a Melbourne historical site: Pentridge Village – formerly Pentridge Prison. The prison was decommissioned in 1997.

As an interior design project, Jury presented several unique challenges to our studio: we wanted to respect its dark past as a prison, and we also wanted to breathe new life into the cafe for its patrons to enjoy.

The theme of irreverence led us to play with ideas – ideas that created a contrast between dark bluestone walls and a palette of bright colours and blond timbers. Along with these ideas of colour, we used a mix of raw materials, plywood, structural timbers and concrete that allowed us to form a geometric colour pattern within the feature wall of Jury. This structure created a playful effect, one that brought the site to life and allowed it to move on from its dark past, as well as embrace a sense of fun for the future.

We softened the space further by adding greenery from Pop Plant; we also designed bespoke tables and stools that are, again, all made from natural materials.

The result is a cafe that even Chopper Read would have frequented during his time in 'H' division.

Biasol: Design Studio