Una Providore - Soulful Design
Character, texture, And tactility
Una Providore, by COX Architecture and Hassell, celebrates Italy’s alimentaris offering gourmet-quality produce and essentials. Shortlisted in the Retail Design category for the Australian Interior Design Awards (AIDA) 2025, Una redefines the modern grocer located in the heart of North Sydney.
Una is among the five new Walker Street venues, including Sol, Soluna, Genzo, and the luxury residences just above: Aura by Aqualand. True to its tagline, “Una Purveyor of Fine Food” - which translates to “A Porter of Fine Food” - the venue delivers on its promise. This “foodie utopia” brings a warm welcome to the community, with each venue made for purpose. More than just a hospitality hot-spot, each serves a key role within the precinct and alongside its adjoining venues.
Project: Una Providore
Architecture: COX Architecture and H&E Architects
Client: Etymon Projects
Branding: Studio Ongarato
Build: Aqualand Construction
Photography: Steven Woodburn
“The design was intended to be quite rustic, articulated in brick, steel and plywood, sitting quietly against the colourful cacophony of produce.”
At 110 square metres, Una’s footprint and offerings are humble yet generous, and as COX Director Brooke Lloyd describes it, the design is overall “robust and restrained.” The thoughtful material palette of plywood shelving, brick tiles, and blackened steel intentionally allows the produce to sing, connecting passionate cooks with the abundance of artisanal produce.
The Orb Pendant Lights were chosen to take centre stage in the grocer, among the rustic yet simple foundation. Crafted from sustainable porcelain, the Orb Pendants complement the store’s organic and marketplace-inspired design. Their soft, ambient glow brings a sense of intimacy to the space, elevating the everyday act of shopping into a tactile and sensory experience. Just like Una’s warm welcome to the precinct community, the lights bring soul to the kitchen, adding to the character, texture, and tactility - quietly reinforcing the store’s ethos of quality, care, and connection.
