It is the biggest makeover the Griffith fine dining restaurant has had since it opened.

"It started off with a need for new carpet – when you do one thing it leads to another," says owner Ben Willis.

Working with designers Capezio Copeland and a team of contractors, Willis said they have created a look that is "a little bit more formal but still without the tablecloths – sort of modern contemporary formal and just slightly more elegant".

While the general layout is the same, the existing space has been revamped with a new colour scheme, bar area, lighting, designer curtains and a new giant, black quilted feature wall, which ties it all together.

The major upgrades are invisible to the eye, but focused on creature comforts, including double glazed windows and under-floor heating. And the outside facade, deck and bathrooms also got a freshen up in the process.

Having always operated out of the current space at Griffith shops, Willis initially looked into moving the fine dining venue.

"You to and fro about what you're going to do, and do you grow. We had various offers to go into bigger places and then you weigh up your options and we did that over a couple of years of thinking about what do you do – do you take the next opportunity where you could build something perfect from the ground up?" he says.

"And we kind of realised we really like what we've got here – it's not perfect in so many ways, but we thought we'd try and deal with the stuff from the back end that isn't perfect.

"If I had another place you would fix all those and get something bigger and grander and maybe a builder or developer would help you out. But we realised staying small and staying where we are is a better way."