HEY ST JUDE

St Jude

Cnr Thurlow & Bourke Sts, Redfern NSW 2016
(02) 9310 3523

Arthur Koutoulas was asked to bring something “simple, bright, rustic and provincial” to his design of this new cafe in Redfern. “We had a really small budget to work with and small budgets really push our creative buttons,” he says. “The space is essentially a rectangular shell. We’ve added value by introducing custom designed and made furniture, fixture and fittings.”

Concrete, American oak timber, rusted steel, leather, brass and cork all make an appearance in the material palette at St Jude. “The main feature is what we called an art shelf,” Arthur continues. “It’s one continuous corroded steel shelf, that allows for the display of interesting objects. This shelf runs the length of one wall. Overall this design direction actually gives the client the best value for money and cost effective advantage. When you are surrounded by so many other cafes, you have to offer something new.

“We had total control of this project and were afforded the freedom to design the whole space and all fixtures on a very small budget. The result is a cafe that is honest and unpretentious.

“Overall we have tried to do as little as possible to the space, making do with what was there, but generate a new spatial and visual language. This was done by a delicate balance between, economic, social and environmental concerns.”