Pinkie

by Biasol

Located in Ivanhoe, Melbourne, Pinkie is a refreshing new café that promises a fun, friendly and modern experience.

Pinkie is as much about community as it is about coffee and food; and the Biasol design, inspired by colour, materials and functionality, is warm and welcoming for dine-in and on-the-go customers to frequent every day.

The Biasol approach began with colour and material selection. The client – the operators behind St Rose and No. 19 – wanted to explore a bolder design approach for their next café concept with a colour palette centred on dark pink, which paired perfectly with the rose-pink glass blocks Biasol wanted to incorporate.

The design process was inspired by the past, as Biasol reignited and modernised styles for contemporary appeal. In doing so they combined the dark and light pink and rose-pink glass bricks with slick black terrazzo and the rawness of the existing concrete infrastructure to create a colour and material palette evocative of postmodernist design.

For ease and efficiency, the layout maximises functionality and operations, and clearly differentiates takeaway and dining areas.

A neon sign marks the takeaway area and the countertop extends the length of the wall for streamlined operations. Behind the counter, the rose-pink glass blocks enclose the kitchen, allowing for natural light and a level of transparency.

On-the-go customers can linger briefly at the custom-designed communal dining table and side bar, while dine-in customers can linger longer indoors or out. Indoor dining, with custom banquette seating, flows outside past sliding glass partitions. Custom-designed sleeves on the exterior planter-bed wall also offer seating and tables.

Integrated into the café design, the branding reflects the fun and friendly attitude of Pinkie and contributes to its welcoming atmosphere and aesthetic. Pink and white neon signs draw attention and inject energy; the sans serif font is clean and modern; and the playful iconography is inspired by the glass blocks.

Pinkie promises good food, good coffee and good moods. By taking a contemporary and practical approach to a postmodernist palette, Biasol have designed a café that also delivers fresh and functional form.

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