Cheers to Character: Relighting the Cherry Tree Hotel

Tucked into the industrial backstreets of Cremorne, the Cherry Tree Hotel is one of Melbourne’s true survivors. Built in or before 1856, the 166-year-old pub has worn many faces over the decades, once known as the roughest pub in Richmond, with a history tangled up in local legend, including a reputed early brush with the law for notorious criminal Squizzy Taylor, not to mention some of the ambience crew who hung around there at some point in the 90s when they should’ve been at school.

Since 2014, the Cherry Tree has been reborn as a beloved community hub, its public bar, bistro and function rooms buzzing with locals once again. This year, the pub’s interiors were given a considered refresh, and ambience was brought in by interior design legends Studio Y to help the lighting do justice to its rich past.

The brief, says Project Manager Viv Taing, was to reimagine “a classic pub loved by locals” without losing what made it special. Working alongside Studio Y, and honouring the venue’s history, ambience curated a mix of decorative luminaires, including chandeliers and wall lights custom made for the project, plus pieces hand-picked in Spain, with clever architectural detailing to build a warm, cosy atmosphere throughout.

Linear runs of ultra-warm LED in Medley, Harmony and Piccolo sit alongside andro XS and S, and Kit Mini XS and S in custom finishes that blend seamlessly into the joinery. A full Casambi system, using CFH Joe Dimmer, CRD400, CBU-RELAY and 24V drivers, runs scenes and timers quietly in the background, with day-into-evening transitions timed to sunset year-round. “The warmth and character of the space is something special,” says Viv of seeing the scenes finally programmed.

Last-minute site changes tested the team, but close collaboration with the builders and electricians kept things on track, proof once again, that good light and a good pub go hand in hand.

Behind the Scenes: Wireless Control for a Heritage Venue

For a building with as much history as the Cherry Tree, running new control cabling wasn’t an option ambience wanted to entertain. Instead, the venue’s lighting runs on Casambi, a wireless control platform that removes the need for extra control wiring altogether. “For this heritage building retrofit, Casambi was the perfect solution because no extra control cables were required, unlike traditional systems such as DALI or Dynalite,” says Controls Specialist Dmitrii Smirnov. That meant less disruption to the existing structure, a faster install, and far more flexibility in where the gear could sit.A mix of Casambi Ready phase-cut dimmers, PWM dimmers and relays work together to create comfortable, human-centric lighting across the venue, with scenes and dimming levels tuned to suit each space and occasion. Scenes shift automatically throughout the day and track local sunset times, so the light changes as naturally as the daylight does. Staff can still trigger a preset scene from the existing main switch, and a tablet in the function room puts full scene and brightness control at their fingertips for events.

Project credits: CHERRY TREE HOTEL:  53 Balmain St, Cremorne VIC 3121. INTERIOR DESIGN: Studio Y, BUILD: Luna Group LIGHTING: ambience