The Melbourne breakfast favourite has just reached its tenth birthday, celebrating the occasion with both a cook book and a ‘grown-up’ new CBD flagship. While the original 120 Hardware Street outpost will continue to trade, the family now a includes younger (and much larger) sibling in the form of an expansive new outlet (250 square metres to be exact) in Katherine Place on Melbourne CBD’s south-west fringe.

“Given how quickly businesses open, close and change hands in this industry, we feel pretty proud to have achieved such a milestone,” says co-owner Di Keser, who splits her time between Melbourne and Paris, where the couple runs a third Hardware Société in Paris’ Montmartre. “Naturally, there have been challenges,” Di says, “but to us, it’s not just a business, it’s a family. Because of this, we’ve stuck at it – for all the right reasons.” Why the CBD? It was the logical next step for the Kesers, who noticed that they weren’t able to keep up with demand from customers at their original location, born back in 2009.

The new 255-square-meter space has been heavily inspired by Danish interiors. A palette of forest green and salmon pink have been embraced, rather than the statement Christian Lacroix wallpaper present in fellow Hardware venues. The team has been thorough on detail in terms of furniture, incorporating marble lighting by Wrong X Hay London among others which hang overhead a mixture of rattan, leather and timber seating. They’ve also gone so far as to custom-paint the coffee machine to match said lighting.

A bigger venue of course means more room for guests, as well as a bigger kitchen. The latter means an expanded all-day menu, which is available from 7.30am daily. Renowned for their rather experimental takes on breakfast, the new Hardware hasn’t changed; lobster benedict with citrus hollandaise and bun noir and confit duck au vin mingle with old favourites rice pudding and chorizo baked eggs. Those who like a breakfast mimosa will be pleased to note that alcoholic beverages are available all day, every day, from breakfast cocktails to wines by the carafe. It being Melbourne there is of course ample coffee, procured from specialists Padre. The new Hardware will also be open for Friday night drinks and snacks, with a special menu of charcuterie, oysters and the like, on offer from 5.00pm till very late.

Hardware Société is open from 7.30am to 3.00pm seven days a week. 10 Katherine Place, Melbourne; hardwaresociete.com