Grey Roasting Co

Hamilton, New Zealand
Interior Design
Furniture & Object Curation

Based in Hamilton NZ, Grey Roasting Co has made a name for itself producing premium coffee beans and a team of award-winning baristas. Every aspect of coffee production is approached with meticulous care and presented with enormous pride. There is a strong sense of whanau amongst the staff, which is extended to all Grey Roasting Co customers.

In early 2022 Founder and Director, Dove Chen, approached Studio 11:11 to create a flagship premises, where coffee production and consumption could become an intertwined showcase, with the expertise and hospitality of his team at its heart. The roastery and tasting room needed to be a place where the GRC team could become hosts, performers and educators; where customers could enjoy a unique café experience, immersed in the full circle process from bean to cup.

Situated within the MADE Markets of Hamilton East, overlooking the tree-lined banks of the Waikato River, Studio 11:11 was initially met with a South facing concrete basement. The challenge was to create an interior atmosphere which could be as tranquil and serene as its leafy and light filled surroundings.

The approach to the interior design was twofold – 1) to create a gallery-esque space as backdrop for the showcase and curation of GRC’s unique coffee artistry; and 2) to create the feeling of a homely, domestic setting, using soft fabrics, custom furniture, intimate lighting, and a subdued textured material palette.

The centrepiece is a large stone bench which showcases a beautiful natural volcanic material from the nearby Hinuera quarry. The space is flanked at each end by warm toned timber cabinetry. At one end an open shelving unit floats from a textured plaster wall, and at the other the timber takes the form of a multi-purpose interior partition; providing storage, a worktop, access to the roastery as well as glazed views through to the inner workings of the roastery. Behind the central bench is a display wall which mirrors the rhythms of existing vertical concrete block columns, and at the base of this sits a satin stainless backbench, reflecting light from its metallic faces.

There are no bulky benchtop espresso machines which would otherwise provide a barrier between barista and customer. Dove has instead gone with striking specialty equipment that is integrated into the central bench, making way for direct conversations and open sight lines. This interior goes further to bring people closer together, by engaging them more intimately into a unique coffee experience.

Custom stools and bench seating have allowed Studio 11:11's touch to reach even further into interior elements, ensuring a holistic and finely detailed spatial quality.

Ultimately the task of Studio 11:11 was to create an interior which enhances what is a unique and special café experience, a task which has been immensely rewarding. The resulting aesthetic feels modern yet timeless, minimal yet rich in materiality, humble yet breathtaking in the sense of calm and intimacy one feels upon entering the space.