Grab a coffee while you admire the terrazzo lobby in this elegant refit

By Stephen Crafti

A strong whiff of coffee can be enjoyed by those strolling along Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. It also lingers as you turn into Westgarth Street, home of specialty coffee roaster and award-winning cafe Industry Beans.

A converted late 1960s-style office/warehouse on the corner of Fitzroy Street, Industry Beans is now a major attraction for the local community.

The Industry Beans Fitzroy refit features many of the building’s original features.
The Industry Beans Fitzroy refit features many of the building’s original features.

Designed by March Studio, which was also responsible for the group’s Chadstone and Brisbane cafes, the 1000 square metre Industry Beans Fitzroy refit still features many of the building’s original features – a distinctive terrazzo lobby, Besser block walls, steel trusses and a number of steel partitions.

“Trevor and Steve Simmons, owners of Industry Beans, were keen to integrate as much of the original fabric as possible,” says architect Rodney Eggleston, pointing out the original soar-tooth ceiling that hovers above the cafe.

Accessed via Fitzroy Street, there still remains a pop-up cafe that was opened during COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is a picturesque cafe itself that is now drawing in the crowds, with its clear sight lines through large picture windows where patrons can observe the roasting of Industry Beans’ signature blend coffee beans.

The design brief for March Studio went beyond simply gutting the interior and creating a “buzzy”, new-look cafe.

“We wanted to create a green, cocoon-like environment, one that makes this space feel just a little less clinical,” says Eggleston, who was keen to create more with less.

An original roller door was replaced by new steel and glass sliding doors, creating greater transparency and light that is orientated to the west.

The cafe was given an additional layer of white steel mesh, which extends across windows, white-painted walls and the ceiling. The purpose of the mesh is to create an arbour for vines to “green up” the cafe, wrapping around steel columns that delineate the seating booths.

Advertisement

Some of the creepers, including those in an internal brick planter, are showing healthy growth as they climb the walls, along with a singular tree responding to the generous afternoon light.

The concrete floors have been polished, but not changed considerably.
The concrete floors have been polished, but not changed considerably.

The original white canvas that features across the ceiling was also repurposed and painted white, as were the exposed ducts.

Mindful of taking the chill out of an all-white composition, March Studio also incorporated recycled timber shelves for the retail component of the building, along with reclaimed timber for the table tops in the cafe.

Soft grey leather banquette seating and limed cork walls, together with chairs designed by Dowel Jones, an Australian design and manufacturing company, provide a sense of tactility.

For those wanting a coffee served at the bar, there is a Corian U-shaped bench, referred to as the Mod Bar, complete with the latest coffee machine. For added sharpness, there is also a series of different LED lights throughout, providing a crispness to the ambience.

While most of the pleasure comes from the coffee and the fare that is served in the cafe, there is also a degree of entertainment watching the beans turn in the roaster machines next door, seeing them change colour as they move through their cycles.

Although Industry Beans Fitzroy is a new fit-out, there are numerous touchstones to the building’s past, including a chunky timber handrail in the foyer, along with “floating” terrazzo steps that recall the late 1960s. Even the concrete floors have not been too overworked to a polished finish, creating a highly appropriate, slightly gritty aesthetic.

What was a typical brown-brick factory and office is now a well-patronised modern cafe where everything is on show but discrete, rather than too overt.

“You want to be engaged with the process of producing coffee, but it’s all important to create a level of comfort and not be distracted by the sound of machinery,” Eggleston says.

Stephen Crafti is a specialist in contemporary design, including architecture, furniture, fashion and decorative arts.

Most Viewed in Business

Source: Thanks smh.com