Britton Timbers joined with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), a major supporter of Architecture Media's 'Eat Drink Design Awards' along with Tanqueray and DesignOffice, to create a temporary 'pop-down' bar in the basement car park of Space Furniture's Melbourne showroom.

The unique bar, which existed for just one night, formed part of the funky entrance to the Eat Drink Design Awards. Guests were required to walk up a laneway, down a driveway ramp and under a roller door in Richmond to arrive at the entrance to the Awards and the pop-down bar.

Entrance to the bar was via a narrow passageway enclosed by a grid of protruding planks of smoky, thermally-modified Cambia Ash. Once inside the central chamber, guests were surrounded by walls of interlocking boards of Britton’s natural American Ash.

Behind these timber boards, gold curtains and strip lighting combined with mirrored surfaces to reflect light around the space and provide the perfect backdrop to the glasses of Tanqueray gin and tonic being served.

Britton Timber’s Peter Bennett worked with DesignOffice’s Mark Simpson to help create the right feel for the subterranean entrance to the awards, and then with Flamingo Furniture to actually construct the entrance within the tight one and half week timeframe.

"The challenge before us was to take an unstructured car-park environment and create a space within that was geometrically refined and would set a certain expectation for guests arriving at the awards. The darker themed thermally-modified Cambia Ash set the tone early in the narrow entrance way with its smoky aroma, and the lighter American Ash in the larger space helped open it out visually."

Peter said that Britton Timbers long association with AHEC was instrumental in bringing the pop-down bar to a speedy reality.

"AHEC works with designers around the world to promote the use of American Timbers and through them we were pleased to be able to assist DesignOffice in bringing their vision for the bar to fruition. The bar was a huge hit with Eat Drink Design Awards guests."

The annual Eat Drink Design Awards supports innovation and excellence in the design of hospitality premises of all scales and types, retail environments for the sale of food and beverages, and visual identities for both. The program recognises and celebrates Australia and New Zealand’s best projects, rewarding design achievement from high-end restaurants and bars to offbeat hole-in-the-wall cafes and pop-ups.