Conceived as a shared meeting place, There Cafe is an uplifting and authentic hospitality proposition harnessed by the strength of its architectural setting. Housed in a 19th-century wool store, the pared-back interior celebrates the site’s industrial character while softly layering new interventions; an evolution of its historic identity.
Starting with a vision to transform the iconic heritage building into a welcoming venue, the brief from the Gant’s (Pot & Pan, Gather & Tailor) was threefold; to honour the qualities of the warehouse, foster a sense of community and contribute to the surrounding mixed-use development.
The site’s grand, cathedral-like windows, raw steel columns and soaring 6-metre-high ceilings presented a rich architectural canvas, driving the design team to develop a narrative around restraint, authenticity and time. A reduced palette of honest finishes, including crown-cut oak, antique brass and natural leather, sits in harmony with the site’s raw material profiles.
The striking architectural features and lack of direct outlook drove the spatial planning to have an intentionally inward focus. A coffee counter lined with panelled oak leads visitors through to the heart of the lofty warehouse, where leather-lined banquettes sweeps the perimeter, addressing an expansive dining area.
Thonet bentwood chairs and blackened steel pendants impart a sense of nostalgia and familiarity, while delicately detailed joinery takes cues from modernist furniture, providing a contemporary counter-balance. The rigid envelope is softened by sheer linen drapery sheathing the windows, accentuating the site’s verticality and tempering the abundant natural light.
From its varied industrial origins to its more recent use as the headquarters of Lonely Planet, the
warehouse has been well utilised, but has never before had a public face. The conversion of the building into There Cafe invites the community to participate in and contribute to the evolving narrative of the place, connecting with this valuable historic asset.
The new design not only works respectfully within the parameters of the existing building, but brings to life its innate beauty. The untreated industrial qualities of the building are embraced rather than clouded by the new intervention, thoughtfully distinguishing old from new.
Due attention has been paid to the lifecycle and environmental impact of the interior, favouring natural materials and local craftspeople. Joinery is simplified and rationalised to reduce waste, while excess materials are reused where possible, such as the leather tab pulls which were made from banquette seat offcuts.
The space also accommodates the headquarters for the owners’ other businesses; a compact workplace and meeting area tucked on a mezzanine level, optimising the site’s double-height volume. This workplace, and the adjacent Fab9 co-working spaces, exist in mutual symbiosis with the cafe; the workplaces giving frequent patronage, the cafe a community-minded retreat to foster knowledge-sharing and the cross-pollination of ideas.
View Original