Project Info.
AU79 Café
Project Address:
Chadstone, Melbourne
Project Country:
Australia
Project Year:
2021
Project Type:
Commercial Project
Project Scope:
Pendant Lights
Project Locations
Select a location to explore the project details.
Au79 began as a dream in an Abbotsford garage — a cafe named after the chemical symbol for gold, built on a belief that the everyday rituals of coffee and conversation deserve to be elevated. When the brand outgrew its first home and secured a site inside Chadstone, Australia's largest shopping centre, they turned once again to Melbourne studio Mim Design to translate that vision into a new space with its own distinct identity.
The brief Mim received had two mandates: maintain a family resemblance to the Abbotsford original, and create a moment of pure gold. Looking up at Chadstone's dramatic vaulted glass ceiling above the pill-shaped site, the design team found their concept. They would build a greenhouse sanctuary — a white-arched colonnade that echoes the sweeping lines of the atrium above, layered with cascading tropical plants, rich terrazzo and stone, brass details, and flesh-coloured leather. An oasis of calm in one of Melbourne's busiest retail environments.
Engineering a seamless spherical form at that scale — inside a working shopping centre, with the structural and safety requirements that entails — is not a standard production challenge. A 2-metre globe that reads as weightless and luminous from below must also be rigorously safe overhead. Lucretia engineered the pendant using a lightweight fabrication approach that allowed the form to achieve the floating, moon-like quality Mim Design had envisioned, without compromising on the structural requirements of a high-traffic public space. The surface finish was developed to diffuse light evenly across the full sphere, eliminating hot spots and producing the soft, ambient glow that the brief called for.
What makes the AU79 moon pendants more than a decorative choice is that they were conceived as part of the spatial narrative from the beginning. Mim Design did not design the space and then select lighting from a catalogue. They articulated a specific experiential intent — moonlight in a greenhouse — and Lucretia engineered the object that made it real. The pendant is not illustrating the concept. It is the concept, given form and hung from the ceiling of a shopping centre for thousands of people to sit beneath every day.
For the Southbank location, AU79 took on a double-height space with arched openings, a mezzanine dining level, and a textured gold tile feature column running floor to ceiling. The interior design required a statement lighting piece above the main counter that could hold its own beneath a large-scale fringe ceiling installation and establish the visual identity of the store from the moment customers walked in.
Lucretia designed and produced a bespoke ring chandelier specifically for this space. The fitting features a flowing, curved brass frame with multiple opal glass globe lights mounted at intervals along its length. The form was developed to follow the organic, arch-driven geometry of the interior rather than imposing a rigid shape onto it. Suspended beneath the fringe canopy, the chandelier sits at a height that provides functional lighting over the counter and display area below while remaining visually prominent from both the ground floor entry and the mezzanine level above.
Because the piece was designed from scratch for this specific location, every aspect of the chandelier was determined by the space: the overall diameter and drop height were set by the double-height ceiling and the fringe installation above it, the curvature of the brass frame was shaped to complement the arched openings throughout the venue, and the number and spacing of the globe lights were calibrated to provide the right level of illumination over the service counter without overpowering the softer ambient lighting in the surrounding dining areas.
Across the ground floor and mezzanine dining zones, Lucretia's Helix Brass Wall Lamp was used as the primary accent lighting throughout the venue. The slim brushed brass body provides a soft up-and-down wash against the white rendered walls and arched surrounds, adding warmth and visual rhythm to the dining areas without competing with the chandelier. The Helix appears at multiple points throughout the space, creating a consistent lighting language that ties the different seating zones together as customers move between levels.
Lucretia's scope at Southbank covered the bespoke ring chandelier, Helix Brass Wall Lamps, and supporting architectural lighting throughout the full venue.
The Richmond location sits within the Richmond Traders precinct and takes a different approach to its lighting compared to the Chadstone and Southbank stores. Rather than centring the fit-out around a large decorative chandelier, the Richmond store uses architectural lighting throughout to define the space and support the interior design.
The most prominent element is an angular LED strip profile that traces the ceiling above the counter area, framing the service zone and the suspended greenery installation below it. The geometric form of the ceiling profile contrasts with the softer, curved shapes of the terrazzo counter beneath, and the warm colour temperature of the strip maintains the signature AU79 warmth across the venue.
LED strip lighting was also integrated into the arched retail display niche and along the base of the terrazzo counter, highlighting the curved joinery and drawing attention to the merchandise and food displays at ground level. Small brass wall sconces placed against the cement render walls provide accent lighting in the dining areas.
Lucretia supplied the LED strip profiles, wall sconces, and supporting architectural lighting for the Richmond fit-out.
Looking to enhance the visual impact of your development or commercial project? Lucretia specialises in architectural façade lighting design that brings buildings to life after dark. From concept development to technical delivery, our team creates tailored lighting solutions that balance aesthetics, functionality, and long-term performance. Contact Lucretia today to discuss how we can bring your architectural vision to life.
