Project Type: Café Fitout
Location: Harry Perkins Institute,
QEII Medical Campus, Perth WA
Client: The Café Collective
Role: Design Lead, Documentation,
Client-Side Project Management
Completed: August 2025
Location: Harry Perkins Institute,
QEII Medical Campus, Perth WA
Client: The Café Collective
Role: Design Lead, Documentation,
Client-Side Project Management
Completed: August 2025
Project Summary
Coffee Anatomy reimagines a long-standing café tenancy within the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, drawing on themes of comfort, clarity, and connection. The brief called for a larger kitchen to support catering and production, a more intuitive and efficient layout, and a spatial identity that felt warm, contemporary, and quietly confident.
Coffee Anatomy reimagines a long-standing café tenancy within the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, drawing on themes of comfort, clarity, and connection. The brief called for a larger kitchen to support catering and production, a more intuitive and efficient layout, and a spatial identity that felt warm, contemporary, and quietly confident.
As lead designer and project manager, I worked from concept through to construction, developing the spatial layout, material palette, brand identity, and full documentation set. The project involved extensive coordination with services consultants, equipment suppliers, and the builder to navigate both compliance and functionality requirements within a complex institutional setting.
Design Response
The design balances deco and industrial influences, pairing fluted textures and muted tones with robust detailing and durable finishes. Custom joinery and bespoke outdoor seating elements extend the identity beyond the café’s walls, creating continuity between interior and exterior zones. The space was conceived to feel calm and inviting, offering a place of respite for researchers, clinicians, and visitors alike.
The design balances deco and industrial influences, pairing fluted textures and muted tones with robust detailing and durable finishes. Custom joinery and bespoke outdoor seating elements extend the identity beyond the café’s walls, creating continuity between interior and exterior zones. The space was conceived to feel calm and inviting, offering a place of respite for researchers, clinicians, and visitors alike.
Key Features
+ Commercial kitchen upgrade for improved workflow and output
+ Rationalised spatial plan to increase efficiency and service visibility
+ Integration of brand and spatial identity (logo and signage design)
+ Custom joinery and FF&E selection to reinforce design language
+ Coordination of full services suite (mechanical, electrical, hydraulic)
+ Documentation from schematic through IFC, including permit submission
+ Commercial kitchen upgrade for improved workflow and output
+ Rationalised spatial plan to increase efficiency and service visibility
+ Integration of brand and spatial identity (logo and signage design)
+ Custom joinery and FF&E selection to reinforce design language
+ Coordination of full services suite (mechanical, electrical, hydraulic)
+ Documentation from schematic through IFC, including permit submission
This project deepened my understanding of client-side coordination and taught me how to carry a design vision through procurement, consultant input, and the inevitable curveballs of live construction.
