In leafy Toorak, Cecconi’s opens as the sister to the family-owned institution that has served northern Italian cooking on Flinders Lane for more than 20 years. The design embodies this heritage, bringing it into a layered, sculptural interior inspired by the masters of Italian design – opulent and intimate. Set in Toorak Village, the entrance recalls the galleries and arcades of Milan: a curving maître d’ desk, honed travertine across floors and walls, a custom floating Tronchi glass chandelier overhead.

From the lobby, a staircase inspired by Gio Ponti rises through the space, its graphic stepped silhouette is cut in red marble to ground the room. An arched doorway, softened with hand-trowelled Venetian render, pulls guests up to the first-floor dining room beyond, the climb itself an intentional part of the arrival. Here, dark walnut meets Carrara marble, cream travertine and fine brass inlay, a palette warm and richly Italian. Glass and brass fixtures light the tables, crisp white linen completing the trattoria spirit. Grand in material yet easy in its welcome, Cecconi’s Toorak brings a Melbourne institution into a new room without losing a note of its original soul.