One of Australia’s most highly regarded specialty roasters, Canberra-based Ona Coffee, makes its Melbourne debut in an understated and inviting Brunswick warehouse conversion. Reflective of Ona’s values of sustainability and approachability, this café is about creating an inviting, humble and personal space to enjoy, appreciate and learn about coffee. It is a space that builds on Melbourne coffee culture and follows a light-touch approach with simple, raw and recycled materials used to create a comfortable and in-situ place.

Nestled in Ovens Street brimming with craftspeople, trades and artists, Ona Coffee is a 450 square metre site sitting between Anstey and Brunswick stations and tucked in behind Sydney Road. From Ovens Street, the tiered timber decking, punctuated with plants, draws people up and into the café. The decking prioritises people over cars with the vehicle access diverted to the side of the building. Within the space there is a hierarchy of moments: custom moveable communal tables; bar seating; banquette seating; table and chair configurations; mobile waiter’s stations; and a multi-purpose mezzanine. Pride of place within these moments is the espresso bar; the heart of the café, which affords people the opportunity to interact with the baristas and learn about the life of the coffee they’re enjoying. Clad in reclaimed offcuts of bricks diverted from landfills, the espresso bar features custom stainless steel and hardwood timber bench-tops.

Complementing the front of the house is a fully equipped commercial kitchen, cool room, storage and bin room; allowing the full café experience. The light-touch approach adopted in this fit-out riffs off the natural character of the building, and of Brunswick, and in doing so provides a space that can grow with the community.

Awards

• VIC Architecture Awards 2021 Sustainability (Commended)
• DRIVENxDESIGN Melbourne Design Awards 2021 Interior Design, Hospitality, On the Go (Silver)

Photography by Tom Ross

We are proud to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Ona Coffee stands. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.