Little Sky Gelateria

Architects Ewert Leaf were commissioned to design the retail fitout for Little Sky Gelateria in Brighton; an affluent bayside suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

Little Sky was started with a passion for better gelato, free from artificial colours and flavourings, to be shared with friends and family.

Ewert Leaf sought to create an insertion of ‘playfulness’ housed within a late 19th Century building framework.

Encapsulating the company ethos in the design was paramount.

As was creating a welcoming venue and fostering a sense of community.

The result is a fanciful retail space, showcasing the art of gelato production to an appreciative customer base from Brighton and beyond.

Through their love of gelato, Little Sky aspired to create a brand and space that promotes enjoyment and social interaction.

Contributing to the local community was an essential factor, whilst establishing a strong partnership with their local manufacturers and suppliers.

In Ewert Leaf’s design, original elements such as the concrete floors and brickwork were restored. These raw, textured finishes sit in contrast to the smooth, curved profiles of the gelato counter, kitchen bar and surrounding joinery.

Blue horizontal strapping profiles trace the interior, visually connecting the new insertion to the existing building fabric.

Bold blue tiles form the base of the Gelato counter, complimented by the custom colour pendants above.

A solid oak bench seat extends the length of the interior, punctuated with pink seat cushions and pink terrazzo tabletops on cherry red bases.

These joinery elements compliment the striking pastel pink backdrop of the kitchen joinery wall, providing a further layer of texture and materiality.

To encourage customer engagement the theatre of gelato is captured via a large open window that punctuates the kitchen joinery wall.

Showcasing production was an integral part of Ewert Leaf’s design brief, inspired from the clients’ studies in Northern Italy and their desire to share this tradition.

The shop design is in favour of a more interactive and engaging experience, coupled with the transformation of the building into a community gathering space, offering more than a typical retail store.

All elements of this retail fitout design by Ewert Leaf were tailored for the fit-out, resulting in a selection of local manufacturers for the fabrication of the joinery and furniture.

Attention to detail was achieved through the engagement of local artisans to provide the custom pink and white ceramic bowls (used to serve the gelato in-house), and the hand-crafted timber waffle cone stands sourced from the off-cuts of the timber bench seat.

Environmental impact has been considered in all packaging; paper cups are made from 100% recycled product, reusable ice-cream containers are available, and crystal glassware was salvaged from a local op shop.

Implementing sustainable initiatives was key in ensuring that the business is run in the most environmentally responsible way possible.

Key Products Used

Laminate – Type 1 LAM 01 High Pressure laminate
Colour: 856 SEI (BLUE) Surface Squared
Laminate – Type 2 LAM 02 High Pressure laminate
Colour: 416 SEI (PINK) Surface Squared

Melamine – Type 1
Range: Polytec
Colour: Classic White
Finish: Matt Polytec

Melamine – Type 2
Range: Polytec
Colour: Canterbury Grey
Finish: Matt Polytec

Melamine – Type 3
Range: Laminex
Colour: Fresh Spring 216
Finish: Natural Finish Laminex

Metal –
Type 1 MET 01 Perforated Metal Sheet to selected feature metalwork
Code: RO2440
Powdercoat Finish
Range: Akzonobel
Colour: FM Bronze Pearl Matt
Code: YY26FA
Finish: Matt

Locker Group

Paint – Type 1 PF 01
Colour: Blowout
Code: P36B4
Wall Finish: Low Sheen
Ceiling Finish General: Flat
Ceiling Finish Wet Areas: Low Sheen
Skirting, Door Jambs, Headers & Doors: Semi Gloss Dulux

Paint – Type 3 PF 03
Colour: Hanover
Code: P11D2
Wall Finish: Low Sheen
Ceiling Finish General: Flat
Ceiling Finish Wet Areas: Low Sheen
Skirting, Door Jambs, Headers & Doors: Semi Gloss Dulux

Paint – Type 6
Colour: Natural White
Code: SW1F4
Wall Finish: Low Sheen
Ceiling Finish General: Flat
Ceiling Finish Wet Areas: Low Sheen
Skirting, Door Jambs, Headers & Doors: Semi Gloss
Dulux

Powdercoat – Type 3 PDR 03 Powdercoat Finish
Range: Work
Colour: RAL 8004
Finish: Matt
Jotun Powdercoats

Stone – Joinery STN 01 Terrazzo Stone
Size: 600mm x 600mm x 15mm thickness
Location: Table Tops. Refer to joinery drawings for further information.
Colour / code: 14200
Finish: Pre-sealed Academy Tiles

Tile – Joinery
TL 01 Porcelain Tile
Size: 96mm x 96mm
Location:
Gelato bar benchtop.
Range: TopCer
Code: ADF-TC11
Finish: Matt
Grout: Mapei 170 Ultracolour Plus
Penetrative Sealer: Sealers Choice Gold or equivalent De Fazio Tiles

Tile – Joinery
TL 02 Porcelain Mosaic Tile
Size: 25mm x 25mm
Sheet Size: 300mm x 300mm
Location:
Gelato bar counter front and kitchen joinery.
Range: HC 263
Code: 80582
Grout: Mapei 170 Ultracolour Plus
Penetrative Sealer: Sealers Choice Gold or equivalent Academy Tiles

Tile – Joinery
TL 03 Porcelain Tile
Size: 96mm x 96mm
Location:
kitchen joinery.
Range: TopCer
Code: 13784
Finish: Matt
De Fazio Tiles

Tile – Kitchen Wall Tile TL 04 Rectified Wall Tile
Size: 600mm x 300mm
Orientation: Horizontal
Location: Kitchen
Finish: Matt
Code: PNT-MR041
National Tiles

Timber –
Type 1 TIM 01 Solid American Oak
Location:
Range: Solid Timber
Colour: American Oak
Mathews Timber

Upholstery 1 – Banquette Seating
UPH 01 Vinyl upholstery
Location: Outdoor banquette seating. Refer to interior drawings for further information
Range: Zone
Colour: Play
Instyle

Upholstery 2 – Banquette Seating
UPH 02 Fabric upholstery
Composition: 100% SD OLF
Location:
Banquette Seating Cushions (external)
Range: Mokum fabrics
Design: Reef 10783
Colour: Jute 819
James Dunlop Fabrics

Timber Veneer –Type 1
VEN 01 Pink Stained Veneer
Joinery timber veneer
Range: Timber Veneer
Substrate: American Red Oak
Paint Colour: Potters Pink
Pattern: Crown
Finish: Matt finish
Ventech

Timber Veneer –Type 2
VEN 02 Timber Veneer
Location: Waiter’s station.
Range: Timber Veneer
Colour: American Oak
Cut: Crown
Timberwood Panels or approved equivalent

Extrusion Light EX1 Sistema extrusion light
Anodised aluminium with opal diffuser
Size: 40mm w x 67mm ht x 8000mm length
Light Source: LED
Warm White
Location: Kitchen. Refer to reflected ceiling plan
Track Length: 8m
Colour: Aluminium
Code: 4067
Sphera Lighting

Down Light – Ceiling Mount DL1 Cilindro Mini Surface Mounted Ceiling light
Dimmable directional spot
Clear Lens
Code: 054083036
Size: 71mm dia x 115mm ht
Light Source: LED spot light
Warm White
3000K LED
230V / 8W
Code: 054083036-WH Sphera Lighting

Pendant Light PN1 Palla Pendant
Size: 200mm diameter x 1200
Bulb: Compact fluorescent, 40W E27 bulb
Dimmable
Colour: Palla Pendant Cable Suspended in Custom Colour Finish with blown glass opal diffuser
Powdercoat colour
Range: Akzonobel
Colour: Skybridge Pearl
Code: YY291A
Finish: Matt
Sphera Lighting

Wall Light
WL1 Luna Decorative wall light
Size: 200mm Diameter x 24mm Projection

Colour: White
Code: 196B0930200 Sphera

Mixer Tap Name: Pegasi M Basin Mixer with Long Pin
Mounting / Set out to comply with AS1428.1-2009
Finish: Chrome Faucet Strommen
E&S Trading

C2
Chair Type 2 Princess Bar stool
Size: 370mm diameter x 760mm ht
Colour: Natural Hospitality Furniture

Chair Type 4 Core Outdoor Dining Chair
Size: 525mm l x 510mm w x 785mm ht
Finish: Galvanised solid steel with powder coat finish
Colour: Rust and white
Colour mix to be 50% Rust, 50% White Hospitality Furniture

Project Details

Project size – 140 m2
Site area – 217 m2
Project Budget – $300,000
Completion date – 2019
Building levels – 1

Project Team

Architecture and Interior Design

Ewert Leaf

Ewert Leaf, led by Will Leaf and Toby Ewert, has a strong culture of inclusion and diversity, where team members with different expertise work together to develop the best design solutions possible.

A supportive environment of collaboration and innovation ensures that they not only produce great work, but love what they do.

www.ewertleaf.com.au

Photography

Fi Storey

With an eye for design and an attention to lighting and detail, Fiona Storey is a professional Interiors Photographer who has dedicated their career to documenting structures through clean and creative photography.

www.fistorey.com