Conceived as a shared meeting place, There Cafe is an uplifting and authentic hospitality proposition harnessed by the strength of its architectural setting.
Project Name: There Cafe
Studio Name: Ewert Leaf
Project size: 300 m2
Site size: 900 m2
Project Budget: $750000
Completion date: 2019
Building levels: 1
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Photography: Jenah Piwanski
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.
The site’s grand, cathedral-like windows, raw steel columns and soaring ceilings create a rich architectural canvas, sparking narratives around restraint, authenticity and time. A coffee counter lined with panelled oak leads visitors through to the heart of the lofty warehouse, where leatherlined banquettes sweep 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. The rigid envelope is softened by sheer linen drapery accentuating the site’s verticality, while antique brass embellishments and tactile finishes give a hand-crafted quality befitting of the There brand.
