Allpress coffee roasters
Hackney, UK
New Zealand-based coffee roasters and espresso specialists Allpress have a simple overriding philosophy: “designed simply to be trusted completely”. It’s a philosophy that describes USM furniture pretty neatly. USM furnishings were the perfect choice for the new Allpress Roastery and Café in Shoreditch, London.
That philosophy permeates everything Allpress does. As Tony Papas says, “we have a very simple offering. We roast delicious coffee and give our customers exceptional technical support and training.” In the company’s physical environments, this translates into a design approach that puts trust and function front-and-centre. This means a roastery that’s fully visible to the public via a glass wall that runs the length of the building and a second-floor café that is nestled among a training room, cupping lab and open-plan office. This level of openness and visibility is essential to building the kind of trust that the company aims for.
In turn, this open atmosphere calls for a tidy and ordered space in which everything can has a proper home and can be easily put in the right place. This requirement is equal parts practical and stylistic – it’s about presenting a space that is not only well-ordered but that also evokes a feeling of reliability and trustworthiness. As Papas says, “It is important that our spaces are functional and aesthetically beautiful in equal measure.” It’s here that the USM pieces come in: used throughout the building’s second floor, Allpress selected a series of USM Haller units perfectly customised to a whole range of storage and display purposes.
In the office, end-of-desk storage provides workers at each bank of desks with exactly the storage they need. A larger unit divides sections of the office at waist-height, controlling the flow of movement in the space without impeding the open atmosphere. The pieces contain both closed storage and open display elements for magazines and periodicals. Additional storage is completely customised to the space available in private offices and meeting rooms. Every piece is finished in bold USM green, simply evoking the company’s branding and the green coffee beans that form the core of their trade, as well as bringing a stylistic unity to the premises.
Continuing this style is the company’s Kitos M Meeting conference table. Making the most of the table’s height-adjustability, they leave the table raised to its full height when not in use, allowing them to store the high stools underneath it, minimising the space it takes up. Height adjustment also benefits meeting efficiency: they’re able to leave the table raised for a quick standing chat, as well as lower it for more official occasions.
In other words, the environment – just like Allpress’s coffee and USM’s furniture – is designed simply to be trusted completely.