life in a rockpool

Lymesmith’s mural ‘Rockpool’ covers the rear wall of the restaurant, yet is clearly visible from the street through the full glass façade, and faces a busy pedestrian mall.

The mural was designed with a light touch. It plays with the colour and material palette set by Tom Mark Henry, without being imitative. Its abstract representation of an ocean rock pool, seen from above, is a response to the restaurant's seaside location in Cronulla. The soft and floating organic shapes complement the restaurant’s interior finishes palette and entices people in for a closer look.

Curves in the shape of the counter, soft edges on seating and design details such as terrazzo floor inlays reference the art deco building the site is located. High quality, yet fun and durable materials, such as the stand out green terrazzo bar, exemplify the both the high quality, and the laid back style of the Cronulla dining scene.

The mural concept was developed initially as a paper cut-out collage. When Tom Mark Henry presented the box of material samples and concept for the fit-out, Lymesmith were able to refine the mural palette and choose related Resene paint colours.

The mural was painted with Resene Lumbersider in a p alette of Resene Half Escape, Resene Tacao, Resene Paper Doll, Resene Apache, Resene Cape Palliser, Resene Turtle Green, Resene Black, Resene Feijoa and Resene Apple Blossom with a clear Resene finish for enhanced cleanability. What is interesting about this colour palette is the combination of light pastel tones with quite earthy browns and greens. This captures the duality of views experienced when looking into a rockpool, where the rocks and life within are full of colour, but the sand is very pale and the still water reflects the colours in the sky above.

From the street, the mural is a lovely drawcard to the passers-by, creating a fresh and engaging identity for the business. It is extremely popular on social media with many customers taking pictures which feature the mural, and the owners also feature the mural frequently in their advertising and social profile. The staff uniforms were designed to match the mural.

Architectural specifier: Tom Mark Henry
Client: Harry Kapoulas
Colour selection and painting: Lymesmith
Photographer: Damien Bennett
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2019