Inside CTRL Space’s Award-Winning Approach To Hospitality

Hospitality design has traditionally worked hard to conceal the machinery behind service. At Mother in Auckland’s Grey Lynn, the opposite approach has become one of the project’s defining ideas: baking, preparation and service remain visible, turning the work of the venue into part of what guests experience.

That decision has now earned CTRL Space and hospitality owner-operator Hugo Baird international recognition. Mother has been shortlisted in the Australia & Pacific – Surface Interiors category of the 2026 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, selected from more than 1,100 entries across 53 categories.

The recognition follows a strong year for the project, which won the Hospitality category at the 2026 New Zealand Interior Design Awards and received a Highly Commended at the 2026 Interior of the Year Awards.

Opened in 2025, Mother operates as both a working bakery and evening bar within a compact footprint. Stainless steel, faceted stone, walnut, glass brick and butter-toned finishes bring contemporary and nostalgic references together, but the spatial planning is equally important. Production, service and customer areas deliberately overlap, allowing the venue to move through different modes across the day without losing its identity.

A big part of the concept was theatre,” says Baird. “We wanted the bakery, kitchen, service and atmosphere to all feel connected and for that process to become part of the experience.

For CTRL Space founder Chris Stevens, the result also reflects the value of a long-running designer-client relationship. The studio previously worked with Baird on Lilian and Hotel Ponsonby, developing an understanding that allowed Mother’s functional requirements and more experimental material language to evolve together.

Mother is one of two New Zealand projects on this year’s international shortlist, with winners due to be announced during the week beginning 5 October.

Explore the completed Mother project and more work by CTRL Space on ArchiPro, or browse ArchiPro’s range of Hospitality projects to see how designers are making operation, materiality and guest experience increasingly inseparable.