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Origin Coffee Roasters – Warehouse Penryn

Making a Mark

Translating a brand built on bold visual style into a series of distinctive spaces that thrive. 7 cafes, 5 pop-ups and 1 head office.

Unique Destinations

With Origin Coffee we have conceived a unique collection of individual cafes through a series of diverse settings – from the British Library to an old aircraft factory to spaces in the heart of Shoreditch and Southwark much loved by their community.

Our approach blended close consultation with fresh ideas to capture the heartfelt care, precision and craft that Origin pours into every cup. Our collaboration, spanning close to a decade, defined the interior design identity of Origin as industry leading throughout London and Cornwall.

Early days

Having initially opened their very first café in Porthleven, Cornwall a lot was riding on the opening of Origin’s first café spaces in London as the brand expanded into this highly competitive market. Duality within the space at Charlotte Road – welcoming public and trade customers alike – sparked us to play with industrial materials in a more refined manner. We set out to communicate the distinctive speciality essence of the brand and stand out in a very crowded market.

This approach continued to be at the core of our work creating balanced atmospheric, inviting environments which met with their practical and business goals – from customer flow to service efficiency and food presentation. Southwark step this up another level as their flagship London outpost.

All in the detail

Our design details and material palettes have always drawn closely on elements of Origin’s visual brand: a soft human colour palette; honest materials with limited environmental impact; creative illustrative elements like the mural wall by John Kilburn (in Shoreditch); and the brew bar (also in Shoreditch) encouraging customers to interact with baristas to learn about the coffee and brewing process (education is core to Origin’s values).

Over time our work evolved ensuring that their brand identity became core to the customer experience. Distinct and yet timeless so that each space continues to be enjoyed with the patina of life.

A true representation of the brand

Feeling distinctly speciality coffee but definitely not ‘me too’, each café has a unique feel. “HMD’s designs have had a huge impact,” says Grace Reith, Origin’s Head of Marketing. “We’ve had overridingly positive feedback, the cafés are performing very well, and have been instrumental in making our mark in London.”