The design took advantage of the high ceiling and exposed block work and services, incorporating them into the design.

The Shed required an industrial look that was still synonymous with a Shed but not literal in it’s approach. It was necessary to create an environment that was in line with its food offer, price point and matched the professional service and serious attitude to making the perfect cup of coffee.

This was achieved through the attention to detail in a refined industrial design aesthetic. The herringbone brick flooring sets the scene providing warmth and texture whilst immediately indicating a difference space to the shopping mall environment.

The lowered rusted i-beams and timber ceiling encourage direction into the space and provide intimacy, whilst the wall plumbing lights are a fun reference to the shed DIY possibilities.

The no frills rebar shelving display, whilst not a new material in industrial themed cafes, has been made more of feature due to its scale. The Corten lined counter gives a sense of belonging and a sculptural element to the space, whilst the open kitchen at the rear of the space provides theatre to seated customers.

The client’s brief was for iIndustrial, but for a different look to the abundance of industrial themed cafes in the market place. The interior palette was striped back to mainly rust and concrete (two finishes left to grow old in your typical shed) but put together in a more refined and considered manner.

Material’s included rust painted surfaces, Corten steel faced counter, black zinc counter tops, rebar shelving, concrete and pale green upholstery.

The design for The Shed is part of a franchise model for a café group where each new design in not a cookie cutter of the old, but is a site specific design that still allows the franchise model to work and appeal to potential franchisees. The current design shown is the fourth design Adam Burns has worked on for the business with each design bringing its own attributes and target market appeal in different locations.

It’s a response against the ones size fits all, and shows that consumers take up hospitality offers based on the merits of the design and the food offer and a “chain” look is not necessarily the best way to stay fresh, innovative and hang on to customer satisfaction when the market is wanting more of an immediate “instagramable” difference these days.