At Wooss café in Melbourne’s LaTrobe Street, AXE Architects sought to deliver an immersive, biophilic interior design that would create a distinct character for the destination.

Through using natural materials, curves, and an earthy colour scheme that nods to pastries and cream, AXE curated an atmosphere that is both fascinating and calming. Dramatic timber batten features with dynamic curves contrast subtly with leafy greenery and the natural tones and textures that suffuse the spaces.

Additional flourishes incorporated into the interior scheme include stylistic inspirations referencing trees and embodying a sculptural, organic feel, with sinuous cabinetry echoing the woodland feel with flowing, biophilic forms. Strategic softening of counters and diffused lighting enhance the overall sense of organic warmth.

At the heart of the guest experience is a striking stone counter, that anchors the space and creates a natural point of welcome and connection, enhanced by the displays of tempting pastries and other delights.

Warm, layered lighting suffuses the space, highlighting the dynamic interplay of nature-inspired colours, including the floorscape artistry created with Polysafe Stone PUR flooring in Clay Stone and Flagstone Grey.

The floor colours flow like a meandering path or waterway bordered by stones or sand, enhancing the overall aesthetic and also subtly supporting wayfinding and navigation.

Polyflor’s Polysafe Stone PUR flooring also offered a practical alternative to concrete, stone or tiles. As a vinyl-based, resilient flooring product it is cost-effective, and was highly flexible for the Triad Advisory construction team to work with as it can easily be cut to curves to elevate the design concept of the two contrasting tones flowing through the space.

The result is a finish that has the uncluttered simplicity of concrete, with the low-maintenance, long lifespan and resilient qualities of vinyl.

The Polyflor products are highly durable, able to withstand the high traffic hospitality environment while retaining their beauty. The flooring also enhances safety for staff and customers with innate slip-resistance (R10) compared to natural stone or concrete, and has been manufactured to exacting standards of quality and environmental sustainability, with credentials including GreenTag LCARate™ Gold Plus and GreenRate™ Level A.

For the architects, the flooring choice was an integral part of the overall design vision of a warm, inviting, nature-inspired atmosphere. AXE and Triad Advisory worked closely with Polyflor to ensure the product specifications aligned with the design vision.

Having an extensive range in terms of styles and colours meant Polyflor could flexibly respond to the project’s distinctive, discerning and highly specific creative goals. Their capabilities also ensured the final choices would meet the brief for performance, durability, quality, budget and project timelines.

At Wooss Café, Polyflor’s Polysafe Stone PUR has demonstrated it liberates the creative imagination of designers, enabling them to bring a vision to life and embody a unique brand identity in a space while still delivering on performance, safety and budget – and that truly puts the icing on the cake for any project team.

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