King’s Vault

Victorians can be sneaky — recently a bunch of them were found crossing state lines into the heart of the NSW big smoke, finding an abandoned warehouse no one would ordinarily look twice at, then smuggling in and plying innocent Sydneysiders with their bootleg alcohol. All because of that old ‘pro’ word… ‘pro’motion. Tourism Victoria recently commissioned Luchetti Krelle to design King’s Vault, a six-day pop up bar promoting the tastes of the King Valley wine region in a warehouse earmarked for demolition. The design capitalised on the original features of the warehouse, cleverly working in a few wine-related concepts such as a bar front made of reused wine bottles glowing green from behind. The pendant light shades were made from laser cut cardboard shapes and slotted together, making a refined statement out of something simple. In fact, most everything was recycled or reclaimed in some way, with a few antiques to bring in that country rusticity. Guests took a seat at the long table on Emu Pigalle folding chairs by Ke-Zu, which were about the only new thing around, but would look perfectly happy at a backyard picnic. And with the spread of wine and cheese that’s pretty much what it was, a Victorian picnic right in Sydney’s backyard.