For the team behind Juno in McKinnon, Australia, one question is central. “Can a great local cafe rejuvenate a community?” they ask on their site. “We think so.”
For them, this sense of renewal comes through on the plate, with house-made jams, a “local produce policy,” and Aussie-casual-cool dishes like avocado on sourdough and green juices with bee pollen. But it’s also felt in the space itself.
The eatery is housed on the ground floor of a concrete-clad apartment building designed by Ritz & Ghougassian, and the Juno team enlisted the same firm to fit the interiors. “Not many people are trying to over-design cafes [because] the average spend is so much lower than a restaurant,” owner Ahmed Mekawy told Broadsheet. But, he added, “We’re trying to create something beautiful.”
The result is a lesson in spare interiors that feel cool, laid-back, and anything but cold. Come see.
Photography courtesy of Juno.
1. Arrange the pantry like a boutique.
![in the entrance to juno, \2\20;mind bending\2\2\1; house made jam 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/juno-eatery-australia-6-733x977.jpg)
![pastries and fresh bread get a jewelry case treatment. 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/juno-eatery-australia-8-733x550.jpg)
2. Draw on the walls.
![chalk illustrations by artist bobby clark add a sense of play to the concrete a 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/juno-eatery-australia-10-733x550.jpg)
3. Call on repeating forms.
![ritz & ghougassian told james richardson furniture they look for something 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/juno-eatery-australia-11-733x977.jpg)
4. Enlist double-duty dividers.
![a minimal bar doubles as bench seating. 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/juno-eatery-australia-7-733x550.jpg)
5. Conceal, cleanly.
6. Add a bit of gloss.
![the plexi—on the walls and ceiling—also amplifies the natural lig 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/juno-eatery-australia-1-733x977.jpg)
7. Don’t add.
![there\2\17;s nothing extra here. leaning into the building\2\17;s 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/juno-eatery-australia-4-733x550.jpg)
![the commitment to minimalism even continues into the wc. 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/juno-eatery-australia-9-733x977.jpg)
For more Down Under, see:
- The Anti-Surburban Beach House: A New Build That Prioritizes Craft Over Style, Community Over Privacy
- Kitchen of the Week: An Undulating Wood Kitchen in Melbourne, Curves Included
- Trincomalee: A Landscape Designer’s ‘Gentle Restoration’ of a Historic House
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