Wooden structures and traditional joinery are used in this Melbourne takeaway chicken shop by local interior designers Hecker Guthrie to evoke the appearance of a chicken coop.

The cafe in Port Melbourne is named Foxes Den after the animals renowned for pilfering chickens from their roosts, so Hecker Guthrie played on this theme by referencing the wooden enclosures used to keep chickens. The studio created pine wood structures that house the kitchen, serving area and dining tables.

"The built forms inserted into Foxes Den where informed by agricultural shapes and framing ideas seen in chicken coops, and also barn forms and lean-tos," said Hecker Gutherie senior interior designer Josh Watt.

The structure in the centre of the space is used as a dining table. Beige canvas blinds around the sides aim to make the otherwise open four-poster table more intimate.

Screens made from diagonal planks, wooden beams and columns appear to be dip-dyed in orange paint. The walls are lined with concrete panels and dark slate tiles are used for the floor.

"There is certain nostalgia to the diagonal pine wall linings, which provide warmth and texture against the concrete and canvas," the designers said.

Pine wood stools designed to match the other carpentry each have three legs locked together with a metal joint, created by Australian designer Henry Wilson. Benches and shelving along the walls support plant boxes that hang from the ends of the surfaces.

The menu is written on blackboards above the counter, which is covered in white tiles across the front. Photography is by Shannon McGrath.