Grinders Coffee’s newly re-designed Lygon Street flagship store has been shortlisted for Best Interior Design (Hospitality) in the 2016 Melbourne Design Awards.
For more than 50 years Grinders Coffee House has been an iconic part of Lygon Street’s heritage, first established in 1962. To bring the historic site into the modern era, the tired building has undergone an intensive renovation program to bring it back to its original glory.
“We have created a coffee experience in the venue that started Grinders Coffee’s espresso movement in Melbourne,” said Grinders Coffee’s Faye Heininger. “The refurbishment occurred for two reasons. First, we wanted to roast coffee again from the original site, so we recommissioned our old red 30-kilogram roaster named Old Red, which has been sitting idle for five years, and we wanted to breathe new life back into Lygon Street.”
To do that, Grinders Coffee has developed impressive new features that make the store not just a coffee destination, but an innovation hub.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to be nominated for this award. Huge credit goes to our local team, particularly Faye Heininger, and to Best Group who designed and built the store,” said General Manager of Grinders Neale Wood.
“The Lygon St store was designed as a mecca for coffee lovers and somewhere for the entire coffee community to come together. The unique design blends our commitment to creating the perfect coffee experience with a strong desire to pay homage to our historic roots.”
As a part of the renovation, all the internal walls were replaced with glass, while sleek concrete benches house state-of-the-art technology like the Classe 11 Xcelsius machines, designed to explore the fourth wave of coffee via temperature profiling.
The new-look fit-out is thanks to the work of Best. Design to Life designers Jacob Burke and Tom Debenham, who quite literally had to demolish, build, and renew the 27-square-metre space within two months.
“Essentially, the brief was to reinvigorate the Lygon Street location so that the brand was seen and loved once again. And most notably, being in Melbourne, a fundamental part of the brief was to actually be able to serve coffee,” Director of Projects Jacob said.
Jacob and Tom used rich and warm materials to evoke a sense of comfortability, off-white tiles to create a neutral base, bespoke joinery for depth and diversity, and copper elements to represent Grinders’ industrial past. Jacob says the leather and timber veneer, together with the concrete-finish bench tops and black steel are all designed to complement Grinders’ refreshed brand.
“The material palette is a symphony of parts that culminate in a rich, immersive, and accessible designed experience that respects the true essence of coffee, and indeed, the Grinders brand,” Jacob said.
“Creating designed experiences like this for brands and their stakeholders is incredibly rewarding when you see everyone really embrace the change and excitement that projects like this embody. It’s not just about a rebrand or new packaging for Grinders in 2016 – the Lygon Street store design has magically transformed the perception of the Grinders brand to Carlton locals, national Grinders team members, and customers. A glint in the eye and the ‘wows’ we have observed signal that our job has been completed, and the experience can now be enjoyed by all.”
The Melbourne Design Awards program provides marketplace recognition across an extensive range of categories and celebrates the creativity and courage of those who are leading the way. The Interior Design award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors.
A panel comprised of industry experts and by the marketplace shortlisted the nominations. Award presentations will take place on 27 July, with the winners announced on 30 June.
For more information visit Grinders Coffee’s new-look website grinderscoffee.com.au
Image credit: Tom Debenham
