by day and by night

Cream evokes thoughts of luxury, gloss, and curvaceous swirls. From the concept ‘cream’, a curvaceous, flowing, inviting floor plan was created. The floor plan caters to large groups, small groups and individuals. Given the heavy foot traffic and prominent location in the area, people watching opportunities are presented at the indoor window seats and the outdoor bar seats. The use of curves in the bespoke seating forms a visually cohesive swirl with the counter, the custom lights and detailing in the front glazing.

Porcelain Pink is proposed as an upscale café by day evolving into a restaurant by evening. In designing Porcelain Pink, a walkabout of the local neighbourhood highlighted that while there are numerous cafes in the area, upscale cafes and restaurant are lacking even though the demographics of the area would support this.

The design of the space, colour palette, textures and repeated fluted shapes all add to the sophistication of the design.

The colour palette and materials chosen were inspired by old fashioned strawberries and cream with the deep rich raspberry and the lighter peachy pink. It is a monochromatic colour scheme with varying tones of red with the darker shades providing a lovely burgundy and the lighter tints highlight a light blush pink using Resene Brunette and Resene Sentimental. The scheme is an intermediate key, major chord. The major chord provides energy and drama in the space while being sophisticated, cocooning and intimate.

The stunning Calcutta marble is the hero element for the colour palette choices with the burgundy, pinks, black metal and brass accents.

Interior designer: Josie Simpson, Altus Design Studio
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2019