cafe design  |  retail food design

ROASTING WAREHOUSE NORTH MELBORNE

A Melbourne Coffee brand's first roasting and retail space engages its customers every step of the way.

Interior of a modern restaurant with wooden tables and booths, white brick walls, large windows, hanging pendant lights, and greenery on a wall.
Inside a modern coffee shop with exposed brick and white walls, pendant lighting, and a customer at the counter. In the foreground, there are burlap sacks labeled with different varieties of coffee beans. Customers and staff are visible, with large windows allowing natural light to fill the space.
A cozy coffee shop interior with a white brick wall, a large coffee menu, wooden counter with coffee bags, a cash register, and a display of baked goods in the foreground. 
case study

Roasting Warehouse is a small batch ethically sourced coffee roaster founded in Melbourne supplying retailers and customers all over Australia.

Their large variety of coffee blends and their attention to their loyal customer base is what sets them apart.

  • Location | North Melbourne, Victoria

    Services | Interior Design

    Completed | 2017

    Photos | Christine Wood Photography

  • We first designed a roastery and cafe on this site in 2007 as the DiBella Roasting Warehouse. We were engaged several years later to create an extension into the adjacent site to provide increased seating areas. In 2017, a new Melbourne coffee brand - Roasting Warehouse, leased the site, and we were again engaged to design a fresh new space, operating as a roastery and cafe.

  • The Roasting Warehouse wanted a space that would be a face for their brand. They envisioned a multi-functioning, accessible and friendly space where they can communicate directly with their customers through freshly roasted retail coffee sales while continuing as a thriving cafe in its local community. This project needed to be constructed during a two week period over Christmas.

  • The main challenge was the construction time on site of only two weeks while the cafe was closed over Christmas break.

  • Due to the limited time on site, we designed elements that could be constructed off-site and installed quickly. We opened up the space, allocated specific areas for fixed seating, and retained the kitchen and back of house location. We also re-used some fittings from the previous fit-out.

Ground Floor Plan - Roasting Warehouse North Melbourne
View of a coffee shop counter through a glass door, with a sign reading 'RWM Roasting Warehouse'. Inside, a barista is preparing coffee, with shelves of coffee equipment and baked goods displayed.
Interior of a modern cafe with a glass display case of cupcakes and desserts, a blue tiled counter, and a blue metal shelving structure. The seating area has green barstools along a wooden counter, and people are working or dining. The ceiling shows industrial metal ducts and hanging lights.
Interior of a restaurant with a row of wooden tables and benches, a lush green living wall, and hanging light fixtures with exposed bulbs.
Interior of a cafe or bakery with display menu, wooden cutting boards, plates, and kitchen utensils on a white brick wall. 
Learn more about our work with Roasting Warehouse.
Roasting Warehouse airport west →

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