Our design for Market Lane Coffee at the Dairy Hall in the Queen Victoria Market is informed by the incredible heritage shell of the corner stall; the rich materiality of the external facades and the pure utility of the original tiled interior. This is the second fit-out by Hearth for Market Lane Coffee, and this project builds upon the qualities developed for the Faraday Street store.

A decision was made to keep the main joinery elements off the walls allowing the entire space to be perceived, as it would have been originally. The old wall tiles, damaged over time, have been preserved and new tiles to match the originals have been used. The original high level paneling has been retained. With the ceiling free of anything but light fittings, the room glows on the corner. The treatment of the simple interior walls enhances the external facade, the ornate nickel window frames and Carrara marble benchtops.

At the servery level new materials are introduced, American Oak timber and black 2pac creates a certain textural play, allowing some elements to stand out and others to recede. With nickel skirting detailing on the marble bench-top joinery elements, the stone is reflected and the joinery sits lightly on the surface. These elements have been designed to conceal services and waste so that the marble is not disturbed. Additional bench space and storage is consolidated into two freestanding joinery units. A central brewing island is introduced and back of house functions are hidden behind a freestanding four-way piece of joinery, housing services, storage, a wet area and fridges. The opportunity to have this sense of openness is quite rare due to the accretive nature of the market stall, where spaces are often subdivided by ceilings, partitions and storage units over time.

Through this consolidation we have sought to reinstate the beautiful simplicity of the original space and celebrate the various visible processes of grinding, brewing and serving coffee.