Rustica Melbourne Central
Bergman & Co. brought the new location of Rustica in Melbourne Central a clean and welcoming look to enjoy baked goods whether dining in or taking away with a delicious treat.
Rustica is one of the most successful and recognised bakery-cafes in Melbourne, so we were thrilled to be able to deliver our fresh take on their brand-new Melbourne central location.
Each Rustica location serves up contemporary dishes, breads and pastries made with the finest locally sourced ingredients and each location features its own distinct flair.
Located within busy Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, Rustica’s latest location is surrounded by the frantic nature of modern life. Our main aim therefore, was to imbue the space with a sense of calm. To essentially make it an oasis in amongst the chaos and noise of the city. Our most effective tools to achieve this was through the use of colour, light and clean design.
Within the bright, loud, clashing colours of a shopping centre we pared back our palette to an array of soft fleshy, tonal pinks. By minimising the scope of colour in this way, the space feels quiet and serene, especially in comparison to its frenetic surrounding. To heighten this nurturing feeling we eliminated all sharp edges, rounding off every joinery piece. This curviness extends though out the space, including seating, tables, dado lines on walls and even feature lighting. The use of materials augments this, as there are no hard, flat surfaces, instead we incorporated creamy renders and buttery leather-like vinyls.
The use of lighting was another key to creating a sanctuary within the shopping centre. The main lighting within the space is from the use of wall lights (custom designed by Please Please Please), that throw soft pools of illumination, rather than the harsh, overhead lighting of its surrounding spaces.
A stand out feature, is the rounded, monolithic front counter that travels throughout the space and literally pushes through the front window, extending a welcome to those that pass by. This is the epicentre of deliciousness and needed to calmly command the interior.
This all creates an incredible backdrop for the café’s true heroes; the bread, cakes and coffee.
So, shop up a storm, then drop in for delicious bread, life-saving coffee and a restorative deep breath.
Design: Bergman & Co.
Photography: Nicole England
