Interior Design
Blackhearts & Sparrows Geelong
Wine store interior
A budget-conscious wine store in a former blind shop in Newtown, Geelong, designed to hold a clear identity without unnecessary complexity.
- Client
- Blackhearts & Sparrows
- Sector
- Retail
- Type
- Commercial
- Location
- Newtown, Geelong
- Status
- Built

- Client
- Blackhearts & Sparrows
- Sector
- Retail
- Type
- Commercial
- Location
- Newtown, Geelong
- Status
- Built
The project
Context. This was Sam's second store design for Blackhearts & Sparrows. The tenancy in Newtown, Geelong was a former blind shop: large, wide and run down, with a tight budget for the change.
A budget conscious retail fitout designed to hold a clear identity without unnecessary complexity. Polished concrete, plywood lining and a single strong wall treatment gave an existing tenancy a distinct shopfront within a tight cost constraint.
Brand. The brand's black steel shelving and recycled timber cabinetry were kept, so the store sits clearly within the Blackhearts & Sparrows family, while a vibrant green over the existing plaster walls gives the shopfront presence on the street.
Angled shelving directs customers through the store and reduces the apparent width of the tenancy. It also fills the floor with fewer shelving units than straight runs would need, which helped hold the budget.
Constraint. A budget conscious fitout. Polished concrete, plywood lining and one strong wall treatment doing the work of a much larger spend.



- Builder
- Canopy Fitouts (design and construct)
More Design work
- Relevant experience
Cocolocks
- Relevant experience
Blackhearts & Sparrows Elwood
- Relevant experience
SBA Law
Relevant experience Designed by Sam Fossati in a previous role, before FORJ was established.
Related reading
- How a Commercial Interior Design Project Moves From Brief to Builder PricingThe five stages between a brief and builder pricing, what each one produces, and where the builder and consultants come in.
- Commercial Interior Design Trends in Melbourne for 2026: What We're Seeing in Workplaces, Retail and HospitalityWhat is changing in Melbourne workplaces, shops and venues, what the current research shows, and which changes are worth responding to.
- EOFY Fitout Planning in Melbourne: What to Review Before 30 JuneWhat a business can realistically review, plan or upgrade before the financial year closes, and what is better planned now and built after June.
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