Nourished and Nurtured – Lovabowl by modl office

Nestled in the bustling village precinct of Melbourne’s Fitzroy North, Lovabowl by modl office reflects the store’s wholesome food offering of acai bowls with an abstract hand, delivering an engaging hospitality experience.

Originally preparing acai bowls from their family’s neighbouring fruit and vegetable grocer, Frootz on Parade, Lovabowl had garnered a strong customer following and sought a dedicated outpost to better service the community. Working with Jonathan Howse of local studio modl office, the owners leapt at the opportunity to convert an adjacent heritage-listed store into a minimalist interior that would articulate Lovabowl’s wellness-focused brand and support the business’s distinctive fastpaced service style.

Operationally, it was essential to rationalise the narrow site to create an intuitive customer and service flow, with dedicated spaces to order, wait, dispense and dine.

Operationally, it was essential to rationalise the narrow site to create an intuitive customer and service flow, with dedicated spaces to order, wait, dispense and dine. Upon entry, a burnished aluminium service counter, custom-designed by modl office and manufactured by Us From Space, offers a central point to greet customers and process orders. The kitchen, shrouded in cement render, is finished with a sleek kitchen pass and recessed bowl motif, drawing focus to the delivery of fresh acai bowls. Two adjacent alcoves are lined with cosy, slouched banquette seats and ambient wall lights, offering informal places to dine or wait. “These spaces add a level of softness to the space, like being wrapped in a blanket,” says Jonathan.

An existing level change is embraced as a threshold to a stainless steel coffee bar. A broad opening to the kitchen allows visitors to engage with the activity of Lovabowl’s bustling preparation space and fresh produce, still supplied by the family fruit shop. “It was in our interests to minimise seating in the venue to maintain streamlined service,” Jonathan concedes, “yet each seating space serves its own purpose to give visitors agency over their experience.”

Interested in translating the qualities of the food offer through design, modl office broke down the components of an acai bowl to define a series of subtle interior gestures.

Interested in translating the qualities of the food offer through design, modl office broke down the components of an acai bowl to define a series of subtle interior gestures. The venue’s custom-coloured cement flooring references the rich berry base of the acai bowl, while crisp greys and metal finishes reflect its cool serving temperature. A series of intersecting forms and over-scaled spherical pendants playfully reflect the diverse layers and textures of fruit and nut toppings, combining to form a striking graphic composition to the street. “Together, each item converges to create a haptic experience through texture, colour, light and shade,” reflects Jonathan.

Throughout, deep horizontal ceiling recesses create a rhythmic expression and break down the site’s linear footprint. Noise is buffered with acoustic plasterboard lining, producing a cocoon-like sound quality, while effectively screening light fittings, speakers and services from view. The result is a refined, minimalist interior that echoes Lovabowl’s authentic, clean and health-focused approach. Also responsible for the venue’s linear branding, modl office has approached each touchpoint with care, yielding a synergetic store experience – a place of vibrancy, order and engagement.