A Soul Nourishing Space

When designing for any commercial space, my goal is to create a pleasurable experience for all who enter; a place that leaves a lasting impression and is memorable for all who visit, and an environment for staff that is beautiful and a privilege to work in.
 When designed well, a space can nourish the soul.

The Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery in Bellbrae Victoria was a very enjoyable project to work on with some room for playful design. The owners’ objective was to create a memorable and fun experience for all their visitors and staff with functionality, quality and durability in mind.

I chose the cacoa pod as a theme throughout all the cafe furniture. After researching about cacoa pods I was surprised to find what they looked like on the inside and wanted to display this so I designed a cut view for the smaller ’round’ tables. (See photo above on the right)

The small table to the right shows a hand carved cacoa pod suspended on a stainless steel rod with the top inlayed with a feature line and pod.

The medium, large and extra large coloured tables in the shape of whole pods, each unique and carved by hand, display the various colour changes a cacoa pod goes through; as it grows and matures it changes through green, orange and brown tones.
(See photos below)

These table designs not only give the rooms a playful and colourful look, they have also sparked many conversations between parents and their children, interested to learn more about where chocolate comes from.

The three photos below show unique Easter and Christmas display units. With the need for something eye catching, colourful, fun and with the ability to display a large amount of stock, these shelving units were my answer to the requirements of my clients at their Chocolaterie & Ice Creameries in the Yarra Valley, at the Great Ocean Road and on the Mornington Peninsula.

Edgy Design

The Edge Performers school, a well renowned dance school in Eltham, asked me as part of a recent renovation, to design and craft a new front desk using their left over dance flooring which they had kept for a rainy day. The hand carved set-in logo, in the front of the desk, is lit from behind using LED colour changing lights which can be controlled and set to different settings through a remote. This makes a real statement upon entering a place of creative expression.

On the left part, the round top part can facilitate 4 people to sit and meet, whilst on the right one or two receptionists can work and greet people entering with storage for manuals, two computers and 2 sets of soft close drawers including 2 filing drawers.

Coffee and Plants

The entrance to a business is an opportunity to evoke the senses and that is exactly what I had in mind designing for this recently opened coffee shop and nursery called Bean Alive on Bolton Street in Eltham.

In Style

For Stylemaster, a meticulous panel shop in Richmond, Victoria, there needed to be a certain subtleness to my normally creative outbursts. The gloss white 2Pac wall with aluminium shadow lines gives the clean, crisp basis for a more interesting counter, the centre piece of the room that draws you to your destination. At first glance it is a simple and practical piece and yet when you take a second look, you will find a difficult, many angled and interesting study of lines, various stainless steel thicknesses and a play with light.