Common Leaf

Strategy, Brand Identity, Interior

Background

A State of Green

Tangshan coffee and all-day cafe is a new addition to the growing demand for Melbourne lifestyle and culture in China. A concept destined to appeal to the residents, out-of-town budget hotel guests and business workers alike, the venue will become a drawcard that celebrates cafe culture, design and lifestyle all in one, with a modern fusion of traditional, local and westernized tastes on the menu.

CHALLENGES

East of the capital city in Tangshan, Hebei - known for its steel mill industry and approximately 120sqm in size, it features a signature coffee bar and cafe dining spaces, that's purpose-designed with a Melbourne aesthetic and western name. Beautiful but not excessive, it needed to exude a new kind of daily, inspired by Melbourne's cafe culture.

APPROACH

The name and interior concept direction for Common leaf was inspired by “Green Harmony”. A place where one’s food journey sees traditions take centre stage with new and exciting western sensibilities, beginning with a coffee and brunch. Similarly, the outdoors becomes part of the inside, where desirable lush greenery brings a touch of urban oasis to this part of Tangshan, China’s industrial city. BrandWorks designed the brand identity to be contemporary and tastefully refined, influencing the interior‘s neo-asian aesthetic, materiality and colour palette to be light-filled, tactile and green. Green in nature, relaxed and raw to touch, with an abundance of natural lighting, the layering promises the enjoyment of native green plants and flowers to provide a contrast away from the city's industrial heart.