This project was an all-too-rare opportunity: to conceive, design and build a new nightclub in inner Melbourne. But the heritage-listed envelope and existing bones presented significant constraints: the brief was not to reinvent the building, but the experience within. To achieve this, we married deep conceptual thinking — drawing particular inspiration from the Surrealist tradition — with selective floorplan adjustments, precisely tailored design, and material selection that is both evocative and functional. The existing stairwell became the centrepiece of a newly opened layout that flows between four discreet rooms, each offering a unique experience within the greater whole. Hanging steel mesh creates intimacy on the Dancefloor. The curved copper Champagne Bar hints at steampunk’s future past. In the Cocktail Bar, 600 brass clips evoke a starry night. Plush pink fabrics soften the Lounge. Throughout the club, the collective mood evolves as Studio John Fish coloured lighting fluctuates. In its totality, Wink Wink delivers a decadent nightclub experience for a fresh Twenties generation.