189 Flinders Lane Melbourne 3000 VIC c/o We are Humble PTY. LTD.

A Code Black Coffee
Project

2023

The brief for this new Code Black venue is in the name – Code Black Morning Bar – taking a cafe and turing it into a bar for the morning. We were interested in exploring the notion of elevating coffee service to the level of theatre and drama afforded to cocktails and champagne.
Taking notes from Code Black’s industrial HQ in Brunswick we stripped back the interior to its bones, exposing existing concrete columns and floors. The space evokes a moody atmosphere, using dark black stained timber and low level lighting. The shop is a long narrow shape, lending itself naturally to the idea of a long diner style service bar from front to back. The bar is broken into two sections creating separate espresso & filter bars giving each a dedicated zone, allowing customers to linger at the filter bar to chat with their barista whilst the hustle bustle of cbd to-go trade happens at the front of the shop. The curved bars fold out from the wall in lines of smooth timber that are soft to the feel and add an element of tactility reminescent of a cocktail bar. This curved timber dowel detail wraps the space taking the line of the bar, climbing the walls and wrapping the ceiling creating strong linear lines drawing you in from the street.
From the moment you enter Morning Bar, you are drawn into the cocoon of black timber and soft lighting, lush leather upholstery and shiny stainless-steel details. A moment of moody intrigue tucked into a small shopfront adjacent to a brightly lit carpark. More than just a ‘cafe’ the space takes a ‘night time’ approach to our favourite ‘day time’ beverage, perhaps even taking it into the night.

Client: Code Black Coffee Roasters
Builder: Four Seasons Commercial Interiors

Lighting: Sphera Lighting
Screens: Boom Studios
Signage: Good Sign Co

Furniture: Design by Them, Tom Dixon
& Ross Didier with InStyle leather

Photography: Peter Clarke