This café was conceived as a warm, relaxed neighbourhood space, where natural materials play a central role in shaping the customer experience. The brief focused on creating a strong visual anchor at the counter while ensuring durability and ease of maintenance for a high-turnover hospitality environment.
ChêneOak supplied a solid French oak slab counter top and complementary French oak flooring to establish a cohesive timber palette throughout the space.
Hospitality – café interior
Solid French oak slab counter top with matching French oak timber flooring.
Interior Designer: Confidential
Builder / Joiner: Confidential trade partner
Timber Supply: ChêneOak
Material: Solid single-origin French oak
Form: Full-width slab top
Thickness: Heavy section, expressed edge profile
Finish: Natural hard wax oil
Grade: Character grade, retaining knots and organic variation
Open Bookcase: Solid French oak, 300 x 54 mm planks, rustic grade, clear hard wax oil finish. Used for vertical and horizontal grid framing.
Cabinetry: Solid French oak, 420 x 32 mm planks, rustic grade, clear hard wax oil finish. Used for doors, drawers, benchtop and end panels.
Material: French oak
Board format: Wide plank timber flooring
Layout: Straight lay
Finish: Natural hard wax oil, colour-matched to the counter
Origin: Responsibly sourced French oak
Expressed timber mass at the counter provides a strong focal point and tactile customer interface
Natural oil finish maintains the feel of real timber while allowing for future maintenance
Timber flooring selected for durability under heavy foot traffic
Oak tones carefully balanced with concrete, metal and black steel elements throughout the café
The combination of a solid oak slab counter and matching timber flooring delivers:
The finished café interior feels calm, grounded and timeless — demonstrating how solid French oak can perform beautifully in demanding hospitality environments
