Creating a space appropriate for the café culture of Auckland suburb Parnell was part of the brief for the new Café Biskit fit-out. The challenge for designer Toni Brandso of Material Creative Ltd, was the budget.

"We were pretty much given free reign on the space but there was a tight budget so we really had to make the space work for us," said Toni. "The only guidelines we were given were that it had to be fitting for Parnell, with lots of light and storage."

Toni's design intention was to focus on nature through the choice of materials, and to tie this into the name of the café, Biskit – another word for unfired pottery.

"We tried to bring in natural fibres and materials where we could. We had the floors sanded back and white washed, used unglazed raw studded tiles on the counter front, and Formica 180fx Carerra Marble on the end panel, which created a magnificent statement from the street," adds Toni.

Formica 180fx is a high pressure laminate that uses innovative printing technology to capture every nuance and detail, replicating the beauty and magnitude of natural stone.

It offers seven carefully selected dramatic stone patterns including Carerra Marble, Bianca Luna, Silver Travertine, Dolce Vita, Soapstone Sequoia, Ferro Grafite and Black Fossilstone. It is also available in Matt, Satin and GlossPlus finishes and is perfect for residential and commercial benchtops, countertops and vertical applications.

A lengthy consent process challenged the team to be ready for opening, but Toni says that the best part of the project was having "an open minded client who trusts you implicitly, it lets you be 100 per cent creative in your design and problem solving."

Formica 180fx offers a desirable look with the added benefits of a softer, warmer and long-lasting material at a fraction of the cost.