Our third space with Allpress is conceived as a compact Espresso Bar with a strong sense of rhythm, warmth and simplicity. Primarily designed around takeaway, the interior is organised as a series of points for pause and interaction, with a centralised bar anchoring the plan and a continuous arrangement of leaners drawing the activity of the space towards its perimeter and out onto the street.
The design takes the familiar Allpress visual language and gives it a more architectural expression, drawing together the warmth of Scandinavian interiors, the quiet precision of Japanese design and the honest materiality of New Zealand Mid-Century Modernism. Rather than treating these influences literally, the common thread is one of simplicity, considered detail and an appreciation of natural materials.
Oiled oak provides the warmth and continuity of the interior, moving between walls, ceilings, shelving, counters and furniture. Rather than feeling like a series of individual applications, these elements are conceived as a connected framework, giving the compact space a sense of cohesion and allowing the architecture and furniture to read as one. End-grain flooring reinforces the sense of craft and continuity, while porcelain tile, brushed stainless steel and substantial steel surfaces introduce a cooler, more industrial note.
The result is an Espresso Bar that is deliberately restrained, but not austere. Every element has a purpose, with the architecture, furniture and material palette working together to create a space that feels warm, functional and quietly distinctive — a place designed as much around the ritual of stopping for coffee as the practical rhythm of taking it away.
Photgraphy by James Retief