If you track the recent roll-out of Soul Te, Bright Eyes Optics and Product of Italy, you realise each venue lives in its own world yet still speaks the same design language. Call it a celebration of honest materials, deft lighting and Australian pragmatism—three projects that prove you can chase atmosphere without losing sight of serviceability.
- Soul Te, Minchinbury — the deli that feels like summer
At Soul Te, every detail is tuned to appetite by Cafe Interior Designers Sydney. A deep-green marble counter slices across the room like fresh basil on a caprese, offset by finger tiles in chalky white and chunky terracotta baguette tiles below. Chequerboard mosaic underfoot nods to classic Italian milk-bars, while rattan-back stools and timber shelving bring the warmth of a suburban corner store. The floor plan by luxury cafe interior designers in Sydney is pure efficiency: order point, deli case, bread wall—one clean sweep that keeps queues gliding. Daylight pours through steel-framed glazing and bounces off a ceiling of peach-painted ductwork, dialling up that “sun-drenched” brief even on a grey Sydney morning.
- Bright Eyes Optics, Mona Vale — clarity wrapped in calm
Swap bread for spectacles and the palette softens to whisper tones. Bleached oak, cream limestone and taupe porcelain tiles recede politely behind rows of back-lit frames. The merchandising system is almost weightless: pencil-thin rails appear to hover, mirrors tuck between shelves and a sculptural wave pendant ripple above reception. Service desks are clad in pale marble with felt landings—quiet luxury that stops short of clinical. It’s retail as spa ritual: you drift from street to script check without ever hearing the clack of a cash drawer.
- Product of Italy, Springwood — nostalgic trattoria, modern toolkit
Further west, clay is king. Mud bricks laid by Cafe Interior Designers near me in a checkerboard grid form banquette balustrade and a curving bar; after dark, recessed LEDs turn every second cavity into a miniature lantern. Rough-cast plaster, burgundy drapes and pleated wall sconces summon visions of slow lunches in Lombardy, yet the layout is as disciplined as a CBD eatery. A central aisle splits twin runs of tables so staff can shoot from pass to patio in seconds. Outside, a linen-draped pergola, canvas director’s chairs and striped bolsters conjure coastal Liguria—only with ceiling fans and a fireplace ready for Blue Mountains nights.
Common threads
Material honesty is the anchor. Whether it’s veined marble, raked plaster or unglazed brick, surfaces are left to speak for themselves—no faux finishes, no gimmicks. Texture over pattern comes next: tiny two-tone upholstery checks, fluted timber rails, ribbed glass dividers—elements you feel before you clock them. Lighting is always warm and layered, from the giant rattan basket that dapples Product of Italy’s ceiling to the “glow shelves” at Bright Eyes that make acetate frames pop true to colour. Lastly, flow trumps flair. Each plan is sketched around movement—how a queue forms, where glasses are tried on, the path a pizza takes from pass to plate—so beauty never blocks service.
Taken together, the trio reads like a mini atlas of contemporary hospitality and retail in Australia: relaxed but refined, grounded in materiality and attuned to climate. One moment you’re sipping a flat white beside emerald marble, the next you’re choosing frames under oak battens, and by dinner you’re leaning against sun-warmed brick with a Negroni in hand. Different vibes, same design DNA—proof that, with the right touch, good spaces don’t just house experiences; they frame memories.