Attica announces major changes

• Attica has a new owner and new agenda
• Melbourne snares restaurant 'Olympics'

"I have this really strong interest in mid-century modern furniture – it's an obsession of mine that most people don't know about," says long-time chef, new-time owner of Attica, Ben Shewry. No kidding.

Of all the things you know about the Kiwi chef – his love of basketball shoes; the restaurant's ranking at No. 33 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list; the storied dishes told in the medium of native Australian ingredients that got it there – almost nothing has hinted at a love of great Australian chairs of the 1960s.

But a year into owning Attica outright, Shewry's finally had the chance (and money) to extend his vision from the plate to the room. On February 18, he'll be closing for a fortnight to transform the restaurant.

"I've wanted to renovate for a long time, he says. "Obviously we've been innovating with what we do physically in terms of the service, food and the drinks for years. But we never changed the building at all. This is the first opportunity to do that, which will hopefully make the service run smoother (last year he introduced chefs running dishes to tables) and bring the space in line with what we do."

At the moment, that space is more a blank canvas than a major part of the conversation: a spotlit warren of charcoal rooms, thick carpets and moody black and white landscapes.

For the redesign, Shewry wants it to be an iconic Australian design. "I don't want it to look like it's from another country. I want it to reflect the natural aspect and influences we have at Attica – the bush, the rawer textures in plates and food."

The designer is Iva Foschia of IF Architecture, whose sleek work can be seen in Andrew McConnell's wine bar, Marion. Coincidentally, she also worked at Circa at the same time as both chefs.

"I met up with her and we hit it off. One of the other reasons is I had a growing interest in Grant and Mary Featherstone's furniture. They're probably the most important industrial designers in Australian history. Grant designed the Scape chair in 1960. He was from Geelong and designed it here in Melbourne. I had this idea to furnish the restaurant with them if I could collect enough. Iva said it would a dream to commission the chair. And we have."

Besides that, Shewry wanted there to be no bad tables. "I want the different sections to feel more connected and for there to be some interactivity."

Read: they're going to (un)build a wall. The bar is going and Shewry will likely be sledging it himself, along with relatives. "I've got a lot of builders in the family."

Even so, it's a major investment. "This is a huge amount of money for me, but it's not in the millions. I didn't want that. I wanted a designer who could thrive within a budget, because that's how I've worked – I think that's where character comes from. It's authenticity I'm looking for rather than that big bling statement."

Attica will close on February 18 and re-open on March 7. 74 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, 03 9530 0111, attica.com.au.