Atelier Shu is a boutique Patisserie located on the street front of 1 Faraday Street, Parnell. A revitalised warehouse building of historic and architectural character that is now home to a mix of hospitality, retail & design and is a key part in contributing to the bustling creative and design-related business precinct.

The shopfront architecture and signage is prescribed and uniform across all tenancies however glass bi-folding doors allow the interior space to open up to the street front.

The design of this space is intended to act as a subtle reflection of the artistry and craft of delicacies on offer. We wanted the space to feel calming and serene with a minimal yet welcoming interior. This is articulated through form and materiality with the use of gentle curves and a soft tonal material palette made up of tundra grey marble, oak timber, hand-rendered plaster and brass accents.

The aspiration was to create a minimalist gallery-like display with all joinery items designed bespoke to fit the long and narrow space. We ran both the banquette and counter down the length of the space to maximise display space and seating. To create a sense of intimacy we gently curved the banquette seating to provide seating nooks that angle the body inwards and provide breaks between groups. Seeing as the space is small the design detailing and execution was incredibly important. We treated the design of the counter and the banquette seat like individual furniture pieces, with a strong emphasis on detail, craft, quality and timelessness. For the patisserie refrigeration, we inset the refrigeration units into the marble countertop to conceal the stainless framing and to appear as seamless and minimalist glass display cases. We engaged furniture designer Tim Webber to fabricate the custom-designed banquette seat and worked with other local craftspeople to further enhance the artisanal feel.