Project Highlight: Society by Russell & George

There’s a lot to love when you step through the doors to Society, designed by Russell & George. Comprising an à la carte dining room, a brasserie, multiple open terraces and a cocktail lounge, Society is a multi-faceted dining experience entirely of its own. Nestled amongst designer fashion boutiques on the ‘Paris’ end of Collins Street, it’s a space which captures old-world elegance with an edge of contemporary Melbourne through an extravagant yet strikingly modern design profile.

Although each unique in their own ways, the three Society drinking and dining destinations all feature a rich and sophisticated colour palette with luxurious finishes. Patrons are never without a sense of opulence and grandeur, which is befitting a venue manned by bartenders and chefs of world-class award-winning calibre.

Such a design brief calls for surfacing that looks high-end yet still fresh and in-vogue; enter our X-Bond microcement. In the ultra suave private dining areas, X-Bond provides a sleek and smooth finish which perfectly compliments the more subdued and relaxed luxury of this bespoke culinary experience.

Yet X-Bond’s chameleon-like ability to suit a variety of different aesthetics is affirmed when you move into the Society’s signature venue; its grand cocktail lounge (aptly named The Lounge, of course). If you cracked open the inside of a gemstone and walked inside, we imagine you’d walk into something like The Lounge; a glittering, angular chamber carved from sparkling surfaces and notched with pockets of glowing light. We don’t often get to see X-Bond in a more maximalist setting, but we think it looks perfectly at home in the ritzy glamour of a big-city bar.

Here, X-Bond provides a kind of understated contrast to the more flashy elements like the mirrored ceiling or chain-link curtains. Whilst these avant-garde touches pay homage to Melbourne’s edgy side, one only needs to glance at the classic Collins Street building facades through the window to feel like a character out of The Great Gatsby.

Society offers a truly unique dining experience, one which reflects Melbourne through the ages— and we’re honoured that X-Bond is in the middle of it all!

Photography by Sean Fennesy
X-Bond by Alt Surfaces