Kōri Ice Cream is a radical, pint-sized project situated on a bustling high street in Melbourne. The design reflects the flavours that are being served at the store - Japanese with a contemporary edge, which became the concept behind the project. 

The ‘Kōri red’ and playful ice cream holders were inspired by the palettes of Japan’s Kawaii culture. To keep the design contemporary, the bold and graphic posters of the Hyperpop music movement were used as a reference. The result is a space that was designed to appear 2D, like a music poster you might see plastered on a laneway in Tokyo. Patrons are invited to step off the street and become a part of the art. 

Innovation + functionality: The innovative planning of the store used human-centric design to amplify the concept of Japanese hospitality (omotenashi), ensuring staff never turn their backs on a customer while engaging in a transaction. This is embodied in the meticulously planned, stainless steel clad, island bench. During the design process, the plan was printed out 1:1 and the client mimed a full customer interaction so as to be able to arrange the servicing equipment, points of sale, scooping and washing tools as well as the ice-cream itself within millimeter accuracy. The result of the planning means that staff never have to turn their back on the customer – everything they need is in the counter. With the omission of typical perspex screens, customers and staff greet each other with a rare level of intimacy and eye contact. 

Creativity: The project was the first flagship store for the business which was developed synonymously with the creation of the brand. Housed in a heritage building, on a competitive street and within an already saturated ice cream market, this store had to announce the arrival of a new and original brand. The creative use of colour to radically divide the shop fit out into two zones was a result of working hand in hand with the branding studio as the identity for the business was developed. Convincing council that continuing the stripe on the outside of the building would bring attention back the heritage façade on such a bustling piece of real estate was the final piece of the puzzle. 

Sustainability: ‘Build less’ was our motto for this pint sized project. With only two pieces of furniture, and four pieces of built in joinery, this store design relied on intelligent use of colour and lighting to create drama and theatre in the space. The interior paint selected was Dulux’s water based, low VOC ‘Retro Disco.’ The lighting selected, Andro by Ambience, was the winner of the 2021 Australian good design awards for its circular economy approach to locally made lighting design. The fridges specified are also locally made and HCFC and CFC free.