Woodworking and Your Appetite Converge: Baker D. Chirico--A Bakery Built Like a Breadbox

Maybe you've heard, but 3rd Ward's got iteslf a Culinary Incubator in the works. Though in the realm of the "very much established," we've got ourselves a woodworking community that'll take on any other woodworking community on the planet (truth, that's an official dare.) So when we came across what you're seeing above, our culinary appetites and woodworking obsessions fused into one--and then we fainted.

Australian architecture firm March Studio has wowed bread lovers and the gluten-free alike with their interior for Baker D. Chirico in Victoria, Australia. To make the most of out the shop's limited street visibility, March Studio wrapped the interior in a sculptural wooden facade that acts as both a striking visual for passersby as well as practical storage for Chirico's freshly baked breads and treats. March drew inspiration from a bread basket, a highly modified bread basket, of course. The long wooden counter serves as a retail space, checkout and chopping board. There's special storage for the knives, pockets to catch crumbs and the scales are set flush into the wood.

The smooth undulations in the overall shape were achieved with a CNC router--all done by hand--a painstaking process that, judging from the intricate plans (see below), must have taken an eternity. According to March Studio, "The varying depths of the shelves and heights of the subtractions [were] meticulously arranged to accommodate long baguettes, large round pagnotta, ficelle loaves and other creations. The variety and expanse of the wall gives freedom to arrange and alter the display according to mood or season."

Yes, we're in heaven.

Meanwhile, work your way up to CNC routed plywood with 3rd Ward's Woodshop Project: Cutting Board.