Fonda Mexican: The Spark of the Australian Wire Revolution
- Location: Melbourne, Australia (Richmond)
- Designer: Technē Architecture + Interior Design (techne.com.au)
The Curation
In 2012, Fonda Mexican opened its doors in Richmond, Melbourne, introducing a "Mi Casa, Su Casa" philosophy that forever changed the city’s dining landscape. The curation, led by the renowned firm Technē, was a masterclass in playful, high-energy hospitality. The space utilized a "vibrant palette" of candy-colored accents set against raw, industrial textures.
Our products were selected to bring a "light and airy" sophistication to this high-traffic restaurant. In a busy, communal dining environment, the White Lucy Bar Stools provided a "visually radical" look that felt voluminous without crowding the floor plan. The open wireframes allowed the energy of the room to flow through the furniture, making the stools feel like a natural extension of the restaurant's bright, geometric murals and bespoke lighting.
The Synergy
The synergy between Bend Goods and the Fonda project was the catalyst for a global design movement. At a time when heavy, rustic industrial furniture dominated the market, Bend Goods created and designed a 21st-century "reinvention" of the wire medium that sparked a true wire furniture revelation in Australia.
Much like Fonda’s fresh, modern take on traditional Mexican street food, our furniture utilized CNC precision and "technical rigor" to turn industrial wire into functional art. Bend was the ultimate use case for Fonda because the restaurant required furniture that was "built like a buffalo" but looked "ethereally thin." This project proved that "wire, done right," was not just a trend, but a new standard for modern, expressive hospitality design—a standard pioneered entirely by Bend Goods' original designs.
The Legacy
This project holds a special place in our history as it essentially ignited the wire furniture revolution across the continent. Since 2012, our presence at Fonda has been so influential that it inspired a wave of imitators throughout Australia; however, the original integrity and "California spirit" of the Bend Goods designs remain the gold standard. Technē Architecture + Interior Design is celebrated for creating some of Melbourne's most iconic social spaces, and their early adoption of our work helped cement Bend Goods as a "modern design icon."
Our bar stools have been a permanent fixture at Fonda for over 14 years, standing as a testament to the longevity and quality of our high-performance powder coating. By choosing Bend at the very start of the movement, Fonda and Technē helped write a new chapter in Australia’s "cultural history" of design, proving that our original wire patterns are as durable as they are iconic.
Products Used
20 White Lucy Bar Stools: Specifically delivered to Melbourne to anchor the bar and communal counters with their signature "asymmetric triangular patterns" and structural elegance.
