One of Sydney's cafes, The Mayflower, has undergone an art-filled renovation with the help of designers at Don de L'Amour. Now, the cafe is a mix of laid-back and high-end destination, with a hallmark of design-focused elements.
Housed in a classic 1990s-era, the building was formerly occupied by an Art Deco florist. The building space had a charming enough shell, but inside revealed a different story.
“Our intention was to bring something new to the community, so creatively, this meant creating floral installations that open up the space to rejuvenate the interiors and bring connection and appeal to the locals,” explains Amy.
The team at Don de L'Amour quickly got to work, inspecting and considering all aspects of the two storeys and transformed the interiors into a laid-back cafe reflective of the charming and quirky culture of its neighbourhood.
While careful not to disturb the beautiful historical façade, the team worked to add character and texture to the shop front display and created floral installations made up of fresh Amaranthus, asparagus fern and native templetonia. Layers of florals were also weaved and suspended from above throughout the inside, cleverly illuminating under warm soft lighting. Each floral was conditioned and preserved, taking over three weeks to complete, to ensure that it is prepared with the utmost quality.
Curved bulkheads and a vivid palette of olive and gold greens, periwinkle and rose pinks and lavender purples are underscored by brass and light accents—all which play upon the vintage elements of the original building.
"It pays homage to the former Art Deco venue genesis. We wanted the Mayflower’s story to evoke a sense of nostalgia without feeling excessively thematic," said Amy.
