Nested in the corner of the heritage listed Hotel Windsor, Kudo is a specialty artisan
bakery in Melbourne CBD.
The interior design inserts itself as a modernised fabric over the existing heritage structure.
It is created to emanate warmth, invitation and delight which reflects the bakery’s specialty.
The inspiration for the design was conceived from the bakery’s signature product, Canele,
and the setting of its historical building site.
The timber frame skeleton in the high narrow volumed space is intended to mimic the
running bond brick pattern. It’s our modern interpretation of the traditional construction
methodology. The overall framing structure is detailed with intricate joints and considered
fixing method to have minimal impact on the existing building fabric. It also gave us the
opportunity to incorporate shelving for product display, adding another functional benefit to
the design.
The shape of the Canele inspired us to introduce fluid geometry into the pedestal joinery.
The joinery is used as a workbench and display cabinets, having the mobility to be moved
around to suit various operational needs.
Timber wave screen used to conceal existing cabling and ducting is also inspired by the
cross-section of the canelé mold. Its convex and concave profile gave form to the ancillary
bench and shelving space, creating incidental dining and waiting spots.
The introduction of these timber elements softens the space and encourage dynamic
customer and worker movement. Our sensitive design response without modification to the
existing structure was well received by Heritage Victoria.