Baker Bleu, Botanical

Sharyn Cairns

• Architects

As the Baker Bleu brand and product loyalty continues to gain momentum, the owners have expanded to a new location in the prestigious residential suburb of South Yarra, along the vibrant Domain Road precinct. Positioned directly across from the Royal Botanic Gardens, a landscape frequently used for public events, the bakery is conceived in response to its setting, with both food and interior experience engaging the surrounding parkland.
Drawing on the established design narrative developed across previous Baker Bleu stores, centred on the aesthetic tension between industrial efficiency and the artisanal qualities of bread, the South Yarra store represents a continued refinement and concentration of these principles.

photo_credit Sharyn Cairns — Sharyn Cairns

Although in an urban setting, the compact interior site is in direct connection with nature. Extensive glazing across the façade, including the coffee window, frames the park as an active presence within the space. Internal circulation is organised around efficient ordering and takeaway, with the park acting as an extended informal dining environment.
The moment of entry is marked by a distinctive striped, patinaed door handle in blackened brass and stainless steel.
As a defining approach to Baker Bleu, bread becomes the primary material within the space, with rustic loaves, bagels and pastries displayed through a series of signature details within a galvanised steel joinery wall, including custom glass-fronted drawers that reveal the product.

Opposite the wall of baked goods, recycled aluminium panelling inspired by sourdough alveoli reinforces the business’s commitment to reuse across its production process. A textured arched wall is introduced, providing a warm, soft contrast to the rectilinear forms of the tenancy and metal joinery.
At the end of the space, products are displayed to create immediate accessibility within the compact interior. Thoughtfully designed hooks present branded bread bags and recipe books, with additional products arranged along linear shelving and integrated fridges.

Within the compact footprint, details are experienced at close proximity and scaled to heighten their impact within the space. Industrial-style spotlights and linear fluorescent lights are surface-mounted in unconventional orientations, with exposed transformers, creating a deliberate graphic intervention. A light-box menu, expressed through minimalist graphics, provides clear illumination of the food offering.
Now the local kids’ favourite destination for soft serve, Baker Bleu, Botanical refines an established design language of industrial precision and artisanal craft within a context set opposite the Royal Botanic Gardens.