Rosie

The project is a local café close to the Parnell Rose gardens. Faced with a low stud, the existing building above seemed to bear down on the space. We wanted to dematerialise this sense of weight, and construe the dining room as an enclosed external courtyard, dappled with light and dotted with colour. The timber shutters that are the primary design feature of the building above have been adopted and re-interpreted as a ceiling, suggesting a pergola or arbour. These are a wild mix of sizes and shapes, sourced from demolition yards across the country, creating varied and variable texture. The chairs and bench seats are webbed in leather and pervious to the low afternoon sun that washes through the room. The coiled rope stools provide bright bursts of colour. The granite counter [‘ruby meteorus’] contains cherry blossom inclusions of natural garnets, and an amazing drift of dark marks, reminiscent of a Karl Maughan garden painting. The arborcultural theme is gently echoed in the lighting, drops of dew on the walls and a tangle of blossoms forming the massive central chandelier. The walls and floors are in natural stone, laid in random coursing and with antiqued surfaces and tumbled edges, suggesting age and prior occupation. These, like the bright stools, transition beyond the glassline to the street edge. The dining room and the kitchen have been given equal care; there is no heirarchy between the two. The room as a whole is intended to be like the food and service of the restaurant; integrated, calm, carefully considered and delightful.