Sky Bar Melbourne - Yarra Hotel Group

CONCEPT, BRANDING, INTERIORS, SIGNAGE & WAY-FINDING & WEBSITE

Elevated like no other.

As one of Melbourne’s leading property developers designing, building and operationalising luxury hotels and serviced apartments in Australia, the group has earned a world-class reputation for crafting beautifully designed and built luxury hotel and service apartments in highly sought-after locations across Australia’s capital cities. They collaborate with the best industry experts to create urban landmarks of distinction that are second to none.

Sitting proudly atop the new Oakwood Premier Hotel in Southbank and offering breathtaking panoramic views, Sky Bar and Strato are set to become Melbourne’s next must-visit 5-star dining destinations. Located at the top of 40-storey tower, the $150M property boasts unparalleled 360-degree views across Port Phillip Bay, the CBD and Yarra River and the Macedon Ranges.

The Brief

Yarra Hotel Group approached BrandWorks to develop a full end-to-end strategy and F&B concept to support their new premium venue. From our very first site visit it was clear that Sky Bar Melbourne would offer some of the best day and night views of Melbourne, and had the potential to be something truly special. Destinational by design, Sky Bar Melbourne is a sky-high, show-shopping venue elevated 140 metres above the ground. It boasts incredible city views, a five-star restaurant, two VIP function areas with private bars, a luxurious main bar and a floating outdoor lounge.

Challenges

One limitation of our approach was the pre-approved name - Sky Bar - which had to be retained, and an initial brandmark design for it. Our proposal would have to recognise and respond to this work that had already been done.

From the outset, it was clear to us that, rather than the entire venue leaning on the Sky Bar brand, the space would be better served by two distinct but related brands for the bar and restaurant. This would allow each to develop their own personality, style and offering.

Our Approach

We took inspiration from Sky Bar’s unique location - perched up in the clouds above Melbourne. The proposed concept references the elements of the earth’s atmosphere expressed through the air, water, ice, vapour and smoke. These elements are called upon throughout the brand, interior design, and menu concept to create a multi-sensory experience for the customer.

To distinguish the two brands, we looked at the duality of these elements and the interaction between night and day, light and dark, calm and stormy. The two resulting brands sit in a delicate balance, complementing and contrasting one another.

For Sky Bar, the brand is light, bright and playful, representative of floating up in the clouds on a beautiful sunny day. The palette is calm and ethereal featuring stunning sky blue and gold, framed with soft cream. To reflect the atmospheric setting, transparency and overlay filters are used throughout to create playful interactions between colours and materials. The brand is centred around a revised version of the previous logo and is underpinned in all areas by premium details - from photography style to staff uniforms, to signage.

Bar concept

Old-world Luxury for the Modern Era.

The Sky Bar Lounge features an al fresco perfect for those warm summer nights and reminiscent of the dazzling rooftops of New York City, with seasonal cocktails, wines, and locally crafted beers. Boasting a collection of rare and old bottlings, well-loved spirits that have become discontinued and distilleries no longer in operation will also find a home here.

“We’re in the process of sourcing these rare bottlings to feature on our spirits menu at Sky Bar Melbourne.”

Patrons can expect to enjoy Boozy Brunch on the weekends, sip on mimosas and breakfast favourites, or indulge in a classic high tea, with homemade scones, petit fours, and champagne above the clouds. A destination in the making, enjoy lively bar snacks, theatrical meals and rocking cocktails from day to night.

Interiors

With an existing design already proposed, BrandWorks were engaged to overlay the food and beverage concept in all aspects. With the interiors, this meant reimagining the dining layout and expressing the brand through palette, finishes and styling.

“Taking the concept strategy and reimagining it for the spatial experience, the joinery and furniture scheme for Strato and Sky Bar expresses the varied palette of changes in our atmosphere"

As you move through the space you glide past the VIP lounge, where the palette becomes more refined and monochromatic before entering Sky Bar. Sky Bar adopts a loftier and brighter palette, to signify high humidity and hues after a sun shower. A commanding timber tree-like structure anchors the casual lounge seating, adding warmth and connection to the natural world. The hue of the timber is left in its natural state rather than charred like in Strato, and is complemented by accents of Cote D'Azur stone, a vibrant grey marble with highly expressive striations to signify thunder and lighting during high humidity.

Outcomes

Officially opened in June 2022, the highly anticipated launch of Sky Bar and Strato has been well received and attracted strong positive reviews as one of Melbourne’s must-visit destinations of the year. Urban List’s rates the experience as ..“Melburnian's rooftop bar obsession (has been) taken to new heights” and Broadsheet calls to “Shoot for the Sky at Melbourne’s Ritzy New CBD Bar”.

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Photography: Pete Dillon

See Strato Case Study