The Bakery by Anna Carin Design Studio

Returning to its origins, The Bakery expresses a utilitarian charm as a nod to its past where a focus on such handcrafted elements was heralded. Anna Carin Design Studio draws attention to the beauty of the handmade and brings a curated approach in layering the old with the new.

Through adaptive reuse, The Bakery is transformed from its industrial past into a newly conceived residence, capturing its previous chapters through a layered approach interpreted through a contemporary lens.

Located in Newtown, the space has had multiple previous lives, as both a corner shop and then later as a commercial bakery, dating back to the early 20th century. The reconfiguration allows the spaces to work as an intimate home, while its lofted heights and volumes ensure a connection to its past remains.

The brief included the need encourage birds and bees into the garden settings and help pollinate the other plantings in the process. With such a conscientious and considered base, Anna Carin Design Studio combines contrast and familiar materiality to compose the welcoming series of spaces.

Built by Pamment Projects, The Bakery, at its core, is an honouring of what has come before. The restored interior fabric plays an important role in the narrative of the space and adds to the texture of the new.

Reflective of the Weiner Werkstatte movement of the early 1900s, the wide-ranging use of handcrafted elements is expressed throughout coexists with the contemporary gestures. As metalwork and woodwork were highly integrated into architecture at the time, they also become an artistic expression of industrial production.

More delicate disciplines such as ceramics and graphic art (in the form of botanical wallpaper) also form part of the story of the space, adding differing layers in the process.

As a potter and ceramist herself, the owner wanted to make sure her own personal imprint was evidenced within the home. Behind the industrial façade lies a more delicate series of spaces that allow the everyday rituals to unfold.

A combination of industrial and robust materiality is combined with more subtle and supple elements like timber and porcelain to create a sense of balance. The library and its encasing dark walls of books becomes an anchor to the lighter spaces, with little to no separation other than furniture that hints at the function of the space, ensuring the open loft-like feel is felt throughout.