Jury comment
Edition Roasters received the Impact Award from jury chairs Madeleine Blanchfield and Scott Walker because the project embodies the essence of good design. Located in Sydney’s Haymarket and originally designed in 2018, the hospitality project’s seed was sown during a conversation over morning coffee that soon saw the designer creating several spaces for her client, who fully engaged with the design response and advocated for its design agenda. Although the business is no longer with the original owner, the relationship between new client and designer remains strong, and this change in ownership exhibits the design’s ability to evolve, revealing versatility and sustainability.
The design itself appears simple and was relatively low budget. However, it makes deft moves to bring texture, character and ambience to an otherwise basic shell. Materials cater to the “rigours of time” by enabling customers to engage with the robust nature of the design, thus adding to the patina of the space. The rich, multi-layered interior brings a feeling of intimacy to an urban area where this was previously lacking.
Importantly, the design also responds to the functional demands of the space, catering to its Japanese-based food offering. Edition Roasters is quite simply a beautiful canvas that showcases the food and references Japanese culture and historic places in a way that is tangible without being mere pastiche. The design has fed into the brand and the success of the business and has also supported a strong sense of community. It has stood the test of time, which has only improved and deepened its authenticity.
Design statement
Launched in 2018, this humble 110-square-metre cafe emanates traditional Japanese rural life, existing in stark contrast to the modernism that surrounds it.
This organic all-black fitout is forever in a state of flux. Its reflective polished render deviates from inky indigoes to warmer brown hues depending on light filtration through the ethereal charcoal cotton drops. A deciduous maple, integrated into a timber planter, changes colour alongside the seasonal menu. Charred timbers and patinaed walls complement the smell of smoky coffee beans and rich yet simple family recipes on offer.
The present owner purchased the business during COVID-19, and the decision proved highly beneficial, enabling focus on expanding the Edition Roasters’ enterprise with the acquisition of premium high-pedestrian traffic sites in the CBD and using the Haymarket cafe to perfect its offerings in preparation. ERH remained open throughout 2021, providing takeaway coffee and light snacks plus namesake single-origin coffee bags for home brewing. Edition Roasters used the time to fully educate all staff on its coffee varieties; given that sales figures of packaged goods have doubled since the business was acquired, the effort paid off. Another testament to the company’s rapid expansion: plans to hire more than 25 new staff at its CBD outlets by September 2022.
Built on the land of the Gadigal People of the Eora nation.
Project credits
Design practice — YSG Studio
Project team — Yasmine Ghoniem
The Australian Interior Design Awards are presented by the Design Institute of Australia and Artichoke magazine. For more images of this project, see the Australian Interior Design Awards gallery.
