Lulu’s Coffee & Japanese Kitchen

Lulu’s Coffee & Japanese Kitchen, located in Urangan, Hervey Bay QLD, contacted Warren Thorpe and the Total Fitouts Wide Bay team to help them design and build their sushi meets coffee bar commercial hospitality fit out. 

Project Manager Annet Maurer said, “The owners wanted us to design and build a modern Japandi-style (Scandinavian with a touch of Japan) eatery experience within a traditional shopping centre setting. The deceptively large project included fitting out a fully functioning commercial kitchen, with refrigeration, storage, and workspaces, plus creating a fresh and modern bespoke front of house servery area with hand crafted wooden baton features and a linear cladded counter with solid wooden benchtop.”

The local commercial shopfitting team took the blank retail space to their talented in-house design team who transformed the owner’s vision into the perfect Japandi -style modern coffee sushi bar.

Annet says, “The design team worked closely with the client to create 3D render plans of the quirky space. The 3D renders really help show the client what the end product would look like. We find that using these innovative design plans helps them visualise the look, feel, flow and aspect of the final space.”

The Details – The owners engaged the Total Fitouts Wide Bay team of shopfitting professionals for the design and fit out of their modern, fresh, Japandi style coffee and sushi kitchen. The scope included crafting a beautiful front of house experience for guests to purchase food and drinks, display cabinets to showcase eye-catching cool items plus a large back of house facility for wholesale of sushi and delicacies to local schools and businesses.  

The design team worked closely with the owners to ascertain their functional business requirements upfront. Sketches, mood boards and 3D renders were created to ensure the design team captured the style, personality and brand of the owners and the experience they desired to create for their customers. The look and feel was to be predominantly Scandinavian, with a touch of Japan and a splash of nature.

The modern hospitality fit out started life as an empty retail space, within a brightly lit shopping centre, next door to Woolworths and the Post Office. The owners wanted the style of their popular business to be a complete contrast to its bright, primary coloured, heavily branded neighbours. They wanted to create a different, calming, modern vibe for Hervey Bay customers to enjoy their sushi treats and quality coffee. The high foot traffic location was perfect, but the air-conditioned and bright environment was a design challenge. 

Annet says, “Lulu’s sits in the corner of Urangan shopping centre and our designers used the side walls to create a small seating area for customers to take a break and indulge in some treats. We created mood and a calming atmosphere by incorporating a neutral colour palette, on-trend white cladding, wood carpentry and plants.”

A strong, yet simple, wooden natural colour palette was chosen to create a calming atmosphere. LED lighting and pendants were cleverly selected to add a mood. Lulu’s simple, yet effective brand was incorporated throughout with bespoke neon signage and menus.

After the existing retail space was defit (made good) the team commenced the project which took approximately 4 weeks. The site was difficult with noise impacting the neighbours, but we worked within the hours we were allowed to get the job done as smoothly as possible for everyone. However, we worked with the hours we were allowed to get the job done. The whole space from floor to ceiling was fitted out. The existing floor was covered in 3 layers of vinyl, so after we removed those and fixed the floor, we added  industrial concrete effect vinyl flooring which is perfect for the high-traffic space. The grounded finish was perfect for the high-traffic space. Mood lighting and feature led strips completed the look, adding a calm retreat vibe to the welcoming kitchen. The Total Fitouts carpentry team hand crafted bespoke benchtops, storage spaces, and signage.”

The owner wanted to create a memorable, natural and Japandi retreat within a shopping centre environment that appeals to Hervey Bay’s residents and visitors who need a break whilst shopping. They wanted to create a fit out that their clients would want to escape to, a place they could be treated.

Ishoa, one of the designers on this project, says, “The client was very clear about the style and vision of the Lulu’s brand. We worked closely with them to bring their concept to life. They had many functional and practical design requirements including a full commercial kitchen and a bespoke servery area for customers.”

Warren, Annet, Ishoa, Telia and the Total Fitouts Wide Bay team expertly managed the design, construct and build project, delivering bespoke touches, custom timber joinery, mood lighting and luxury finishes. The result another memorable hospitality fit out for the Total Fitouts local team of fit out professionals.