Brief

The Joinery Project develops a single piece of specialist retail joinery, a POS and reception counter for a commercial fit-out at 65 Berry Street, North Sydney. Working as junior designer at NV Designs, the task takes the Design Manager's initial sketch and resolves it into a workable, fully documented solution ready for a joinery fabricator. The counter has to hold a full POS setup with screen, eftpos, cash drawer and printer, an open metallic display for impulse buys, drawers and open shelving for bags and stock, and two lockable cupboards for secure items, with power, data and integrated lighting run through it. It also carries a lower stone return to meet AS1428.2 for wheelchair access. The outcome is a complete drawing package, plan, elevations, section and detail, backed by an FF&E schedule specifying every finish, fitting and piece of equipment.

Concept

The counter is built on honest material contrast, warm timber, cool stone and raw metal read together in one piece. A ribbed dark oak front is cut by a diagonal metallic reveal lit with an integrated LED strip, grounding the warmth with an industrial edge that ties back to the brick shell around it. An Augusta green marble benchtop sits over a matte black carcass, with recessed lighting washing down the counter face. The form steps down to a lower green marble return, turning the accessibility requirement into part of the design rather than an add-on. Function stays clean: an open metallic display draws impulse buys at the front, while drawers, shelving and lockable storage sit concealed behind.