Jones the Grocer arrived on the Sydney food scene in 1996. Since then, Landini Associates have helped expand and evolve its offer overseas. To mark the next step in the Jones journey, our task was to reintroduce the brand to its hometown audience by way of a flagship store in the glamorous CBD Westfield.

courtesy Landini Associates

It's still a grocer but has transgressed to be a multifaceted creator of meals. It produces casual yet polished eats, from eating in or take away, a baker and patisserie, as well as a tea expert, cafe, licensed restaurant with private dining room and open kitchen, cooking school and tapas bar. Achieving all this diversity of service in one 490 m2 location was a tricky balance.

courtesy Landini Associates

We placed the open bakery and patisserie at the front to provide an active interface with the Westfield guests, whilst also serving to buffer the dining areas from the shopping centre. We then created multiple areas internally, each entertained and protected by food production activities such as the open kitchen, tapas bar and shop. This allows the whole to be viewed from the center but also to be separate enough to define its own personality.

courtesy Landini Associates

At the very outset we recognized how important the lighting would be both as a foil to the centre but also to create the dining experience that Jones needed to succeed throughout the day and into the night. We determined to light the space with a warmth that sits at odds with its new home. This we achieved largely by lighting a stone feature wall that looks onto Pitt Street and exclusively lighting the activity and product, rather than the space. This was supplemented by new low energy efficient fittings and LED's, which both up and down-light the product and rear wall of the space.

courtesy Landini Associates

Our overall ambition was to create a celebration of real people coming together to cook, eat and be social. Jones gets that and that's what makes it special.

+ Project

Jones the Grocer Sydney flagship store
Project Design Practice: Landini Associates
Project location: 5th floor, Westfield Sydney, Australia
Completed: 1st March 2013

+ All images courtesy Landini Associates

Thanks to growing economic prosperity and the British government's flagship Help to Buy Scheme, the UK property market has experienced a significant boom during the last 4 months. More specifically, the government themselves have subsidised an estimated £1.3 billion worth of house purchases during this time, as buyers continue to benefit from increasingly positive sentiment.

This is also excellent news for vendors, especially those who have been looking to sell their home for a concerted period of time. With greater assistance available for first time buyers and a steady economic recovery underway, home-owners have recognised that they have a considerable window of opportunity if they wish to sell their property for an agreeable price.

Optimising the Appeal and Sales Value of your Home

With this in mind, home-owners should look to invest in developing their living space in order to capitalize on a flourishing market. Consider the following steps towards achieving this goal: -

• Refine your Garden or Outdoor Living Space: Potential buyers are often caught in the moment when appraising a potential property, and it can be difficult for them to evaluate the long term value or viability of any given structure. This offers an advantage to vendors, however, as those who look to sell during the months of summer can immediately enhance the appeal of their property by making the most of their outdoor garden space. Investing in creatively designed and cost effective fencing can help to introduce a wow factor to your garden, for example, with suppliers such as Buy Fencing Direct offering affordable products that can optimize the shape and visual appeal of your garden.
• Consider the Benefits of Frameless Doors and Glazing: On a similar note, the way in which you make the most of natural light can also influence the visual appeal of your home. This is likely to create a favourable impression among potential buyers, especially those who view the property on a bright and sunlit summer's day. To achieve this, you may want to consider investing in frameless doors and glazing, which are extremely durable and maximise the amount of natural light that is transmitted into a living room or dining area. These are even more effective when fitted to an existing conservatory or extension, and they represent an increasingly popular contemporary design trend.
• Remodel your Kitchen: Of all the internal rooms that demand attention as you look to market your home, the kitchen is the single most important. Modern trends demand that the kitchen should serve as a stylish and multi-functional space, which allows for the efficient preparation of food while also allowing home-owners to entertain in a number of formal and informal scenarios. The introduction of a minimalist design ethos, creative storage solutions and plinth lighting are also low cost methods of enhancing both the value and appeal of your kitchen space, and this can translate into additional revenue once a final bid has been accepted. In the quest to sell your home, you should never underestimate the importance of optimising your kitchen space.

In Summary

Although there are no immediate signs that the UK property market is set to experience a decline, the volatile nature of the global economy means that nothing can be taken for granted. For individuals looking to capitalize on the current level of sentiment and sell their property this summer, there is a pressing need to creatively improve the visual appeal and value of their home.