A project of 8 years in the making, Hopper Joint opened in early 2024 positioning itself on creating a spirited environment for all who walk through the door. A former piano bar, the site required a major refurbishment and restoration throughout. Perera parlayed his Sri Lankan heritage into designing a space that felt honest and indicative of his familial customs, but also the contemporary culture of how people eat and socialize in the diverse city of Melbourne.

Hopper Joint reimagines the tropical modernist style synonymous with Geoffrey Bawa, combined with a more personal aesthetic that Perera is known for. The space features custom made rattan chairs, hand blown amber glassware and embroidered marigold linen serviettes all produced and imported from Sri Lanka. 

Unique and whimsical plaster hand ‘lights’ act as a homage to the classical Bharatanatyam dancing that Perera grew up around, made by Sydney based artist Max Rixon. Low and slow rotating rattan fans, deep blood-red cork floors, antique Indian crystal amber chandeliers, and teak timber shutters evoke the essence of Colombo and the classic colonial bungalows found high up in the Tea Country of southern Sri Lanka.