This website uses cookies to improve your experience navigating our site. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
OK, I understand
Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
As we've seen all this week, great design + great food really seem to make the perfect combo. Middle Park shop proprietor and ceramicist Shelley Panton combines these two great creative passions in her inspired 'Dinner in the Studio' series, which kicked off last week as part of the 2012 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival!
Over four dates Shelley has devised a a series of dinner events, collaborating with a bunch of super talented local chefs, winemakers, artisan suppliers and our fave food illustrator Dawn Tan (!!), to showcase and celebrate all things artisan for the table. Each of the four courses is served on Shelley's own handcrafted stoneware plates, created especially for these dinners.
The delicious pics you see here document one of these intimate dinners, held just last week, in which Astrid Turner of Loam Restaurant and winemaker Ben Haines joined forces with Shelley to host a fabulous evening in her beautiful little store!
Next Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th Shelley will once again be throwing open the doors for more gourmet gatherings - collaborating this time with Bottega Restaurant's head chef, Gabriele Olivieri, and winemaker Nick Brown, of All Saints and St Leonard's wineries in Rutherglen.
There are still a few seats available for both dates next week, and EXCITINGLY, Shelley would love to offer a very special giveaway - dinner for two to one lucky TDF reader next Tuesday March 13th - total value $290. Of course the lucky winner must be available for dinner with a guest next Tuesday 13th March 7.00pm - 11.00pm in Melbourne. (Note the menu isn't vegetarian for this one I'm afraid.)
* UPDATE - Congratulations to Jay (comment #109)- we hope you have a fantastic time at 'Dinner in the Studio'! A big thank you again to Shelley for offering this fantastic giveaway!
TO ENTER simply leave your comment on this post before 10.00pm tonight. A winner will be selected at random and contacted by email tomorrow. Massive thanks to Shelley for this super generous giveaway!
Full details about these inspired events are on Shelley's website and the Melb Food and Wine Festival website! There is also a beautiful wrap-up of last week's dinner with lots of ace pics on Dawn Tan's blog (food looks AMAZING!).
The Design Files acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
First Nations artists, designers, makers, and creative business owners are encouraged to submit their projects for coverage on The Design Files. Please email bea@thedesignfiles.net
The Design Files’ original content and photos are copyright protected. Please email us before reposting our content on other publications, personal websites, or Instagram. Feel free to share our images on Pinterest using the credit ‘via thedesignfiles.net’. Thank you!
Oh wow, it all looks so beautiful. What a treat!
great to see the MFWF doing some innovative & creative programming to spread the festival love.
saw some pics on dawn’s blog last night. the table looks absolutely beautiful and the food look totally yum!!
This looks divine! My husband and I celebrated our 15 year anniversary yesterday but not wiht a dinner like this…what a lovely treat it would be!
Looks lovely. What a special venue for a dinner – I’m free!
Wow, looks like the dinner of a lifetime. What a treat to be able to experience!
That looks and sounds amazing!
What a great idea
An offer too good to miss out on!
Wow! My sister and husband arrive from UK tomorrow. What a lovely experience to give to them.
How lovely! I would take my best friend Zoe who is great dinner party fun!
Looks devine. What a great experience.
How amazing!! Its our “wedding week” next week!! Married next Saturday! I am doing my own styling at the wedding so would love to go and get some last minute inspiration…..with my man! xx
Honestly I adore everything Shelley makes and this would be a total blast! My idea of a *great* night out!
Oh how magnificent….what a treat it would be
Too good. Love dawn’s napkin <3
Yumbo! Get in my belly!
all so natural and honest…yum
I’m free and will bring a very entertaining friend !
im already salivating at the thought of this fab dinner!
Random selection thingy! Please pick me for this lovely dinner :-)
oh my gosh! how fantastic! I have been trying to think of ideas for my anniversary, This would take the cake! fingers crossed xx
What a fantastic combination of all things beautiful and good food too. Yum!
wow what a special treat this would be for my partner and I…mmm…yummy
What a fabulous prize! So fantastic.
I don’t know why, but it make such a difference to me what sort of plate I eat from and what shaped cup I drink from. Even the shape of the fork and spoon change the experience. I love the look of the ceramics in these shots – just the right balance of elegance and weight. Beautiful!
looks delicious!
Would love to take my partner along to this – pick me!
this looks AMAZING!
awesome venue, great foodies on board. well done shelley, love to join you!!
Oh my!
This is the best giveaway yet! This looks absolutely stunning!
The food sounds amazing and Shelley’s studio looks incredible. Would love to come along to this great event :)
My husband and I would be overjoyed with this gorgeous treat. What a night out x
Looks divine!
Ooooh, what fun. Yes please :)
What a great idea! I would love to be a part of it.
Inspirational – who says there is nothing to do in this wonderful city!
beautiful. a potter, shop keeper AND food and wine afficionado? stunning trifecta
This looks so lovely, a beautiful, local community spirited idea…good on you Shelley!
Would love to share this with a my mum. We have both just moved house over the weekend (separately) and neither of us have had a real meal all week :(
This looks like a fantastic event – its would be amazing to be able to be a part of it and experience all it has to offer.
I would love the chance to take my amazing very hardworking girlfriend on this dinner, to show her how much she means to me.
Wow what a great space! So
Much color as a total package
Would be Amazing!
Yum! book me in!
What a fantastic idea! yet another reason to love melbourne and the food and wine festival
Love those napkins!
Wow – this looks amazing – I would love to go to one of these dinners!
What a treat! Good food, good company, what more could you ask for?
Heaven!! What an amazing tasty Tuesday treat! Love
I would love to treat my mum to this, I know she would love it!
Wow! I am salivating now (I’ve just had breakfast) just by looking at the pics! Pick me!
What a super way to brighten my Tuesday!
Looks like a wonderful event, very exciting!
What a lovely and brilliant idea! beautiful handmade homewares with devine cooking and an intimate atmosphere to match. Absolutely Perfect! x
yes please….food and beautiful things in the one room = heaven!
How delighful!! What a perfect mix..
Ohhhh. YES. PLEASE! xx
I love any excuse to visit Shelley’s store!
fabulous idea – fabulous food – fantastic company – I would just love to !
OH GASP! Yes please x
What a wonderful concept!! Incredible styling and food. Awesome idea.
What a lovely concept! bringing the food and wine festival back to what it’s all about – good food, good wine and good company. This sort of event should be all year ’round I say!
Hummm… slowly eating my way around Melbourne’s open food doors ….
Candied figs and
Rosemary sprigs
Candlelit dates and
Ceramic plates
Tuesday seems so far away
To go I’d starve for many a day!
I would LOVE to win this!!! & I promise to bring a special friend with me.
Love what Shelly Panton is doing here guys! What an inspiration. Combining Food and design…. well obviously! Yet so many cant get it right. Must must must get down there next week and try it out. Please please please help get me there. Perhaps this concept could be run on a monthly basis and not just for MFWF? I know a few takers x
I so need a meal out and this looks absolutely divine!
yum yum yum yum!
My god what a treat this would be…it’s been to much all work and no play lately, to sit and chill out over a long dinner would be heaven on a stick.
Wonderful idea, great food and fab designs. I love Melbourne culture!
Another fabulous idea from Ms Panton … beautiful space for a dinner party & so very Melbourne!
Would love to come for dinner. ;)
wonderful yum bum
OMG! I will seriously drive to Melboure to attend this :^)
Love to attend
What beautiful event styling and the food looks divine!!!!!
How sublime this dinner would be, those ceramics are so beautiful.
Amazing!
This is my absolute favourite shop in the world! I love her dog, the lighting, the music she plays and of course all her beautiful stock. I have my fingers and toes crossed that you randomly pick me.
The food looks amazing and the set up is gorgeous! Would love to surprise my fiance with Dinner in the Studio.
It just looks sooo beautiful. And cultured. And creative. And fun. And I’m craving it. I would love to go !!! Thanks for the post.
this looks so beautiful. I love the glow in the pics and the table settings look stunning. I could see myself purchasing a few little things on the night. eat + shop = heaven! would LOVE to share this with my hubby. *drool* x
This is what I love about the food and wine festival, wonderful food in unique dining spaces. I would adore to be part of this. Thanks
Oh my, what a surprise for my partner this would be. Amazing.
What an amazing treat!!!
This would be amazing!! x
oh how wonderful. Please please please please pleeeeeeeaaaaasse pick me!
Such a beautiful space and event! Gorgeous work – congrats to Shelly and all involved!
Am so very available!
Shelley’s studio dinner is just the excuse I need to come get my Melbourne fix next week.
Looks Amazing – i think we should invite the dogs as well… labradors running everywhere might not go so well with the pottery!
Stunning! Great way to entertain clients, staff, friends, me. I want to try it.
Looks amazing. My partner and I visited All Saints estate on our Summer roadtrip and loved it. Rutherglen is such a beautiful place, we can’t wait to get back there.
This has been on my wish list since visiting Shelley’s beautiful store and hearing her inspiring life story – if not this time, next MFWF for sure… enjoy!
My tummy is rumbling! Delicious!
What a fabulous giveaway! I’ve been in to Shelley’s store several times and always lusted after her gorgeous ceramics. And what a great way to celebrate the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Very ‘Melbourne’.
Oh my goodie good goodness – this event looks awesome – would love to attend!
Beautiful beautiful store – and I love MFWF!! Thanks for the opportunity!
ooh, that looks amazing. Good enough to get a babysitter for.
..sorry will be washing my hair that night, (not!) Fingers crossed.
Oh Lucy, please pretty please! I would do anything to be there! xx
Local dinner with a special design. twist, speaks to me directly
What a concept! I love our food and wine festival. There are so many creative events. I’m enjoying the plethora of cheaper options available too.
Beautiful venue and gorgeous food! What an amazing treat :o)
What a great idea, fun, tasty, inspired and great networking opportunity.
Looks amazing. Would love to join you for dinner!
art food love
It looks so cosy and tasty!
I would love to enter on behalf of my wonderful sister and her chef boyfriend! With his profession they LIVE to eat out and Katie is so kind and accommodating to all that she deserves to be appreciated every once and a while.
Side note: I spotted those wonderful napkins on Dawn’s blog just yesterday they are beautiful! The wonderfully set table I am SURE would improve the meal – visual feast and all that :)
Great concept combining food and design!
Yum! Yum! Yum! Yum! Yummoooo … Loving the concept xoxo
oh gosh! That looks like a thoroughly inspiring and delightful night. Fingers crossed!!!
I love Lucy Feagins. She enlightens me with culture
This dinner looks magical. Would love to attend.
oooh a last pre-baby night out, what a fabulous treat!
Oh golly gosh! I’m coming to Melbourne next week and that would be a fabulous treat! YUM!
Love the little touches on that dinner table. Go Dawn Tan!
Wow, so excited to see this entry on Shelley Paton as I live right around the corner and buy all of my gifts from this beautiful store! What a great idea the dinners are combining both passions of design and food!
oh lovely! please count me in
Dinner with Shelley sure beats dinner at home watching Packed to the Rafters!
Love the stoneware plates – beautiful plates make beautiful food taste even better!!
Shelley’s ceramics are pretty beautiful. I would love to win this, fingers crossed!
What a giveaway! I would love this.
Amazing what happens when great minds and tummies think alike!
I’m free. What a treat that would be.
YUMMO! YUMMO! YUMMO!
Oh ma gosh that looks yummy
What a magnificent way to spend an evening. Lovely lovely lovely…
That would be a beautiful way to spend an evening and take my hubby out for our wedding anniversary!
Trully Inspiring!!
Those plates are gorgeous!
Oh wow, this would be amazing.
What a beautiful idea! I would love to win this to celebrate our wedding anniversary (it’s on the 13th too!)
The food and wine festival is one of my fav Melbourne events. So great to see an original idea.
What an amazing giveaway and a stunning event to be a part of.
love this idea! just jumped over to dawn’s blog too, and the food looks incredible!
Very generous giveaway!! Make me number 135.
Cheers
Oh I would love to win this one! Sounds amazing.
Wow, I would love to have dinner at Shelly’s.
Looks beautiful, what a lovely place for people to spend time eating and drinking!
Oh my….How fabulous…..I’ve got everything crossed!
oh wow these dinners sound just amazing!!!!
Do we get to keep those gorgeous napkins!
Wow, what an amazing giveaway! I’d love to attend and surprise my husband!
Yumo! I would love be there!
Mmmmmmmmm my tastebuds are watering as I type!!
Shelly and the shop looks totally gorge in those photos. Take me and my bffl along for my bday!! :)
Oh so lovely! Would be so excited to go! x
Looks just divine!
Oh of all the things you giveaway this is for me!
Love it, gotta a girlfriend who will equally stoked.
Miaaaaammm oui please me & my lucky friend!
Beautiful ceramics enhance a great meal!
Looks fantastic! Fingers crossed.
Such an inspired package of aesthetics and taste sensations – love to be a part of it . . .
Fantastic idea, beautiful plates & yummy food! Thanks for the giveaway :)
this would be such a treat!
How wonderful!! A feast for all the senses!!
I count my lucky stars every day that I live in such a vibrant city, that I have a birdseye view of the best bits in the Design Files and that there are city dwellers like Shelley to show us how its done. Don’t need the food, the pics inspire all by themselves but I will put the shop on my long list of have to dos.
I am so there – I would love to attend such a cool dinner mixing two of my favorite things – food and creativity xxoo
Did my comment work?? Eep – so hard to tell!
Ahh! My goodness! I would love this! I would give it to my brother who is a chef and his girlfriend who is a designer. They have just moved to Melbourne and its his birthday! It would be such a fabulous taste of the collness of our town for them!! (So much trendier than Sydney..!!)
I doubt I can leave too comments, but I meant to write COOLNESS, not collness in my previous comment!
what a delicious way to high light Melbourne’s talented artists and foodies. I am definitely free tuesday night !!!!!! The photo’s look ever so inviting.
I have always wanted to go to a dinner in Shelley’s shop! It just looks so beautiful!!
I’m an architect plodding away and a fresh creative foodie experience is just what my soul needs…how could I not be inspired by such a fine dining extravaganza!
What a beautiful and innovative idea. I would love to experience such a treat and suprise/share it with someone special. Congratulations on producing something truly different for the Festival!
This looks amazing! Fingers crossed.
Wow!
mmmm birthday dinner!!
So generous. Here’s hoping.
Looks gorgeous – I’m free for a beautiful dinner and surroundings!!
This looks amazing – my fingers are crossed!
Oh golly this would a fabulous evening!
what a fabulous idea to dine in shelleys studio amongst her gorgeous pieces ,i know the studio well,love it..
a great idea that beautifully encapsulates the best of melbourne
Sounds delicious!
Love all the details !
please pick me lucy. i am underfed and overworked!!!
Gimme gimme gimme….
Sounds scrumptious!
Now that would be a fantastic la-de-da way I would be able to spoil rotten my gorgeous best friend!
What a fantastic way of sharing food / ideas / amazing retail purchases / and meeting new people
This would have to be one of TDF’s best giveaways! Yes please… it all just looks perfect!
So many lovely comments! How can I compete? Maybe I could emphasise the fact that I am in terrible want/need of a night out as I am a sleep deprived, regional dwelling housewife/artist/mother, and right now a little win/exclusive dinner/wine/chit chat,{now Im droolin} etc…would be fab-u-lous and timely?!!! Thank you Shelly & Lucy, Please pick me?.
Sounds great. Count me in.
PIck me, pick me! I’ve been very good :)
Shelly’s pottery is gorgeous! Will have to make it down to her shop to buy some!
wow, this is possibly the only way that Shelley’s gorgeous pottery could be improved on…pick me, pick me!!!
Even though I missed the deadline for the comp, just wanted to say I have been to Shelley’s shop and she is such a friendly person … her dog is great too!
Just love your shop and hope im the lucky one who gets to come to dinner!
Sounds great! Good food & great design- I’m in!
This store is so beautiful. how mesmerising. ;)
Absolutely beautiful napkins. What a gorgeous collaboration. The table looks rustic and welcoming. Love it.