Known as Little Italy since the first of many Italian immigrants settled here in the 1950s, the Carlton area of Melbourne instantly gained a culinary aura thanks to the many eateries that popped up here. Ever since, the neighbourhood further evolved, become a destinations of choice for the city’s gourmets and café society. One of the latest notable additions to Carlton is Good Measure, a design-led yet laid-back café and bar alongside one of its main thoroughfares. Founded by Max Allison, Brandon Jo and Mitchell Miller, three friends who’ve fallen under the spell of the friendly and unpretentious neighbourhood cafés in Japan, their new venue also ticks all of our boxes. Occupying a fairly narrow and elongated 190 sqm. (2,045 sqm.) unit on the ground floor of a historic low-rise building, the entrepreneurial trio tapped local architecture practice We are Humble to create a fitting setting for a venue that shifts from cool café during the day, to cosy bar at night.
Given the Japanese style objective, the interior sees an infusion of warm timber, captured by beautifully lacquered floor planking, specific fixtures, bar counter, and last but not least, wall panels and ceiling. The lower section of the bar backdrop are covered in ceramic Metz tiles in a matching hue, adding interesting visual layering. The carefully sourced furnishings are simple, and either have a slight rustic feel or Mid-century modern look. The front section features wooden bench seating while the bar is lined with stools. Further into the premises, tables and chairs can be found, and when weather permits, a rear courtyard seats an additional 30 guests. As said, Good Measure is an all-day venue, and that’s obviously reflected in its menu. So, there’s a range of coffee concoctions, cake and sandwiches available during the day, but at night, this place transforms into beer heaven, offering no less than 21 lagers, pale ales and cider, all on tap and from craft breweries, in addition to wines, sake and cocktails.
Good Measure
193 Lygon Street (Carlton)
Melbourne, VIC 3053
Mon-Fri 7.30am-3.30pm (café)
Sat-Sun 8am-3.30pm (café)
Fri-Sun 5pm-12pm (bar)
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
