Image Credit : Abby Varner
@abivar
Project Overview
Frank’s is as much the name as it is the approach to the client's first foray into the cafe market. The intent was to create an honest, locals’ café, with an inviting interior that was contemporary yet not superficial, and would compliment the simple food offering and corner publican style nature of the operator.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
EwertLeaf
Toby Ewert- Director
Ana Calic- Interior Designer
Project Brief
An empty shell at the base of a new development in the burgeoning family suburb of Cheltenham, the client recognised a need for traditional locals café and combined two tenancies into one space.
Split by a central kitchen/servery bar encased in a cream brick and timber top, the clean rectilinear bar is aglow from a custom black pendant, meaning the customer is always greeted by the operator on any side. Opening up the front windows with bi-folds creates an immediate interaction to the footpath and allows natural ventilation through the venue.
Reclaimed messmate boards laid in a chevron pattern envelope the space with warmth and create a perfect canvas for the simple, yet elegant neon signage.
A neutral white ceiling and and walls are offset by the polished aggregate coming through the concrete floor, the timber walls, and the black feature trims to fixtures. A strip mirror in the main dining space adds depth and splashes of greenery help break up the white pin board wall.
Softening the timber floating banquette seating with leather upholstery, the timber chairs and stools appear light and make movement through the family friendly space much easier.
Project Innovation/Need
The dire need for quality cafes in suburban areas is not new, however nailing the spatial flow and offering is the pivotal factor. By splitting the space, Frank’s caters for more intimate seating on the kitchen side, and then allows enough access for prams and small groups on the other side without creating any disconnect between the two. The materials and palette is the catalyst for retaining the connection and subsequently the reason the cafe has been such a success.
Design Challenge
A careful balance of seating options versus the required space needed for the commercial kitchen component and central servery meant that careful consideration had to be given to how the flow of customers would work, and how staff could manage it effortlessly.
Once this was solved, it was then integral to the space that the finishes flowed through, subtly separating the two spaces without causing a disconnect to the atmosphere.
Sustainability
Taking over an existing shell enabled us to utilise as much of the existing materials as possible. Polishing the existing concrete slab, and contrasting the white low VOC painted walls with reclaimed timber panelling and bench tops, complimented the simple and honest ethos of the business model.
Interior Design - Hospitality - Casual
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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