Contraband Coffee in Melbourne Reveals Rather Than Replaces
Architecture studio Taylor Knights has designed the Contraband Coffee café and roastery in Melbourne with a stripped-back interior of concrete surfaces and timber joinery, letting sustainable production practices take centre stage.
The Moonza view
Reveal rather than replace sums up a sustainable design approach: instead of covering a building with new finishes, clean up and expose what is there and add only what is needed. It cuts costs and creates an honest, characterful space.
Furniture and joinery then carry most of the warmth and comfort. For cafés and office pantries, sturdy timber chairs, a timber counter and a few bar stools beside exposed concrete form a modern, low-cost combination. Durable furniture is itself sustainable because it is replaced less often.
- Before covering walls and ceilings, see what exposing them achieves
- Buy durable furniture; replacing it less often is sustainable
- For counters, choose sturdy timber or metal bar stools
