INDESIGNLIVE

Most of the time, the daily errands of adulthood can be quite uneventful and tedious. Especially when it’s the end of the day and you thank heavens you’ve survived the gruelling work-day that you realise - you’re not quite finished yet, you’ve got to do the weekly grocery shop.

But! It’s not all that bad - here in Australia, we’re spoilt for choice with our organic corner stores; retail heroes that celebrate local produce and family-owned companies supporting communities with good, honest food. For family-owned business Harris Farm Markets, it’s all that and so much more.

In Sydney’s iconic northern suburb of Mosman sits a new grocery model - one that adds a surprising pop of colour to your monotonous supermarket experience. Designed by Sydney-based design studio Tom Mark Henry, Harris Farm Markets breathes a new life for your weekly meal prep.

Creators of unique, engaging and functional environments with a human-centric design, Tom Mark Henry alongside Harris Farm enlivens the customer’s senses with this revitalised soul of Harris Farm Markets entering the new decade.

Inside the new store is a fresh-produce haven - with sweeping amounts of fresh fruit, vegetables, local goods, a buds and bloom garden, an exciting new feature for Grain Organic Bakery and the new and improved, Proper Meat Butchery that takes on traditional practices from the Harris Family heritage of meat merchants.

The space connects the shopper directly to the produce - putting the customer experience at the forefront. The supermarket design references its opulent harbour-side locality, boasting monolithic arched walkways with a sophisticated and cool coastal tonality. A large pinksalt bulkhead extends throughout the Mosman branch, complemented by the pastel-toned of calming blues, pared-back earthy greens, sumptuous terrazzo elements and raw features of wooden shelving housing the products.

The forward-looking grocery store features some new additions to the new-age Harris Farm Markets personality.

Customers are able to serve themselves at a self-pour milk station, as well as a giant (and the more ingenious and sophisticated version of the well-loved vending machine) bread-filled conveyor belt by Found Design Made, which delivers bread directly from Grain Organic Bakery upstairs.

In true Tom Mark Henry fashion, exquisite details are celebrated throughout the store, creating an atmosphere of subtle opulence within the walls. Throughout the store, expansive murals by Desmond Sweeney depicting the area’s iconic beaches reside on the interior walls.

The shopping experience ends with the registers in front of one of the captivating backdrops by Desmond Sweeney. Intricate brass trimmings and colourful grout detailing add a touch of grandeur to the Mosman outlet, elevating the supermarket experience as you leave with your purchases.

Tom Mark Henry envisaged a new kind of grocery journey - one that invites customers to stay, wander and explore. The Harris Farm Markets Mosman project redefines the way everyday experiences should feel like, making the supermarket experience comfortable and beautiful for the local neighbourhood.

Photography by Andrew Worssam