The best of Melbourne with Creative Director Mason Feehan

Images supplied by Mason Feehan

Design is part of Melbourne’s everyday rhythm, from the cafes where the chairs are as considered as the menus, to laneways where galleries and studios sit quietly between office blocks. It’s a city where good taste isn’t reserved for showrooms or museums; it’s built into the daily walk to work, the choice of tiles underfoot, the way a space feels as much as how it looks.

That sensitivity to materials and atmosphere is what draws Mason Feehan, creative director of interiors brand BAYA, back to the city. With BAYA opening its first Australian showroom this year, Mason has been spending time in Melbourne’s Richmond, where the new space is designed by StudioStudio’s Sebastian Negri in collaboration with Forté Flooring and Tim Webber, reflecting on the brand’s love of craftsmanship, texture, and natural forms. “Melbourne has a quiet confidence when it comes to design,” Mason notes. “There’s an ease to how people live with beautiful things.”

Recently, Mason returned for a deeper dive into the city that continues to inspire him. Between visits to independent galleries, local design stores, and architectural hideaways, he’s revisiting favourite spots like Hector’s Deli, Industry Beans, and Hope St Radio—places where culture, community, and creativity intersect effortlessly. His Melbourne diary captures the small discoveries and everyday details that make the city tick, offering a thoughtful, insider’s view of a place where design isn’t just seen, but lived.

SHOP

MOSCOT, Chapel St, South Yarra, Melbourne VIC - I have a soft spot for Moscot, having looked after the brand in Australia a few years back and was pleasantly surprised to see their first Australasian outpost on South Yarra’s Chapel Street. 110 years in the eyewear game is no joke.

ABOVE THE CLOUDS, Collins St, Melbourne VIC - One of Sydney’s best fashion stores (in my humble, but biased opinion) opened up their first Melbourne space in June and I managed to sneak in there for the first time, serendipitously bumping into the founders JP & Dimitri. Designed by Pattern Studio, the fit out is incredible, as is the brand list.

UP THERE ATHLETICS, Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC - With the cultural wave that is run clubs taking over sidewalks and cool cafes on Saturday mornings, I’d recommend a visit to this store if you plan to join in on the action. Carrying indie brands like Satisfy and Bandit, as well as the classics, it’s a refreshing experience for those in need of product to get sweaty in and Strava Kudos.

[below] Above the clouds, Shop T0.07/80 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

DESIGN

RIGG DESIGN PRIZE - NGV, 180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC - The Rigg Design prize is the NGV’s annual accolade for design excellence and is a great way to keep an eye on who’s next in the world of design. Highlights for me were the Stainless Steel Physalia Vase and Luva Lounge chair by Douglas Powel of Duzi Design Studio created through pressure forming, which involves inflating air between two sheets of welded steel. Mario Lyda’s Pat, Fi & Dala lamps, which were easily the most striking of the exhibition, and symbolised the passed-down family ritual of craft, as well as being lamp embodiments of her grandmother, mother and herself.

MAKING GOOD : REDESIGNING THE EVERYDAY - NGV
Another product design exhibition in the same building (we timed our visit well), highlighting the impact that great design, and design thinking, can have on improving the world we live in now and for the future.

Ebony Heidenreich’s Cosmos Coffee Table, made of a clay composite that utilizes by-products from ceramics production, was an impressive example of turning waste into a beautiful product.

Joris Laarman or Joris Laarman Lab’s Microstructures, aluminium gradient chair, demonstrated a practical application of biomimicry, applying lessons from nature into product design and this this case, mimicking bone structure to create a chair the ultiises minimal resources.

[below] Making Good : Redesigning The Everyday Exhibit

TO EAT

BAKER BLEU, Dover St, Cremorne Melbourne VIC - Melbourne’s pastry darling doing all the right things. The cinnamon bun was exceptional, as was the interior design of their Cremorne space which is further proof that stainless steel is having a moment (and so is Cobalt blue).

SUUPAA, Dover St, Cremorne Melbourne VIC - Located right next door to Baker Bleu, the Katsu reminded of the Famous Japanese Katsu Chain Maisen, but with an Aussie twist, demonstrated in their Vegemite-spiked Tonkatsu sauce. My colleague got the Miso-Chocolate cold-brew and I wish I had too.

HUGO’S DELI, Richmond, Melbourne VIC - A trip to Melbourne is not a trip to Melbourne unless I’ve gone to Hugo’s Deli and had a Fried Chicken Sandwich. Always add cheese and hot sauce - for some reason I didn’t add the later this time and it was a huge mistake (albeit, still a very good chicken sandwich without it). 

[below] Hugo’s Deli, 119 Swan St, Richmond VIC 3121, Australia