Coffee is the passion of the modern age but you wonder if, when he left law to become a bean merchant, Toby’s Estate founder, Toby Smith, could have imagined his success. A decade on, the backyard business operated out of his mother’s house in Wooloomooloo now supplies over 600 coffee houses in addition to the own-brand coffee houses the Estate runs across Australia.
Given Smith’s former profession, the latest outpost of his global enterprise (the brand also has cafés in Singapore and New York) is located in the suitably corporate surroundings of the Commonwealth Bank on Darling Square – a new build part of the multi-billon dollar overhaul of western Sydney.
Melbourne-based Studio Tate, led by Alex Hopkins, has taken a difficult location and the limited scope it afforded, and transformed what could have been a takeaway stand in a foyer, into something more inviting and less transient. This has been achieved through the use of robust materials like leather, marble, wood and brass, which subtly suggest the notion of a bank and the creation of varied seating options, from communal and individual tables to standing coffee bars along the rear of the banquettes, where those who wish might choose to linger.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Darling Walk
C4/1 Harbour Street
-
Fluid workspaces: is the era of prescriptive office design over?We discuss evolving workspaces and track the shape-shifting interiors of the 21st century. If options are what we’re after in office design, it looks like we’ve got them
-
This collection of slow furniture is a powerful ode to timeA serene exhibition of David Dolcini's 'Time-made' collection has fast-tracked its place into our hearts and homes
-
Is the Pragma P1 the most sustainable watch yet?Geneva-based brand Pragma combines industrial design with real sustainable credentials
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Lo Scoglio: an Australian vacation rental with regenerative principlesTucked away in Byron Bay’s hinterland, an Italian-style farmhouse presents a sustainable approach to luxury
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitalityAs women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Melbourne Place: ‘an alchemy of colour, texture and personality’Designed by Kennedy Nolan, Melbourne Place is the Australian city’s newest independent hotel, oozing creativity and urban energy
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeysStay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Six hotels where you’ll find the winter sun this FebruaryFrom intimate seaside inns to lush tropical resorts, here are six Wallpaper*-approved winter sun escapes
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openingsExplore the best new hotels in the world, from the revival of a grande dame in Madrid to the restoration of a gothic beauty in Prague
-
Australian surf culture merges with the charm of the Mediterranean at Il DelfinoIl Delfino, designed by Sheree Commerford, is a restored 1940s seaside inn nestled on the Yamba coastline in Australia
