VALET CAFE NEWTOWN
From a Bar to a Commercial Workspace to a Museum
REDDIE’s Australia Manager, Cass Siow, sat down with Nick Theodore, owner of Valet in Newtown, to talk about how the space came together.
Having run Catapult Coffee, a boutique specialty roastery, for the past six years, Nick felt the business had lost contact with the people actually drinking the coffee. The disconnect felt personal too — having once lived just one street away on Wells Street, Nick knew the south end of King Street as the overlooked half of Newtown, the stretch everyone walked past on the way to the busier north side.
Looking to regain that connection, and bring a bit of overdue love back to his old neighbourhood, Nick opened Valet — designed by Hady Anboussi and Samantha Wardle of Some Studio, fitted with REDDIE pieces throughout.
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In our first week, a woman came in with her husband — they lived just down the street and hadn't really had anywhere nice to go for coffee… she was almost in tears because she said it was so amazing to have a space like this on her street.
They feel lucky and we feel lucky to have them and to be received like that by them. Our trump card is the way we treat our customers, the way we make them feel. We want to spoil our customers.
”
Nick Theodore
Valet Owner
How did Some Studio and REDDIE come into it?
Nick: “The same way, really — a good connection. We found Some Studio online, and I met Hady on-site when the space was still pretty raw. We hit it off pretty immediately; he understands hospitality, so he was picking up what I was putting down. He's actually the one who told me about REDDIE. I'd already been eyeing off one of your communal desks with the grate in it online (the NCW Workstation, as it turns out), but hadn't put the dots together.
"He said, ‘They're just down the road in Surry Hills, let's go see them.’ So he took me down, and you [Cass] were really accommodating. I liked that you had the option of ready-made or pre-fabricated pieces, or the possibility to design something tailored. It also helped that you understood the coffee industry, having worked in it yourself.”
What was the design process like?
Nick: “Hady was very proactive in getting things going, very quick to respond with initial designs and revisions, he was just a breeze to work with. The whole project took around 12 months, with the build itself taking about nine. There was a lot of back and forth. He would send me a door handle or a light fixture and I'd think, that doesn't really feel like it fits this space. We had a clear vision of what we wanted to create, so we tested everything against how it would land here in Newtown.”
What did you want Valet to be for the neighbourhood?
Nick: “We're not doing anything out of the ordinary. It's good coffee, good pastries, nice music — but we want to do it well and make people feel welcome. We didn't want super high-end gold taps and fine finishes. We wanted a little bit of a rustic feel that resonates with the people around here. A place where we're not completely out of place, but still a little bit elevated, something special that they enjoy.”t QBE Perth, designed by Hassell’s Perth studio, Senior Interior Designer Jinn Wan specified REDDIE’s 100% recycled plastic panels in Rust and Pearl across multiple applications throughout the office including the reception and entrance joinery benches.
And the thing you're proudest of?
Nick: “I think initially people come to check out the space and see what we've created. But we're getting a real sense that people who live locally are proud of this place — they're like, ‘Yeah, that's my local, that's where I go.’ That's really cool for us.”
Valet's already become a local favourite.
Here's Newtown, spending time at their spot.
Source: IG @valetnewtown
Designer: Some Studio | Project Photography: Nic Gossage
VALET NEWTOWN's
Custom Pieces
