Inside 88 Açai & Frozen Yogurt: A Calm, Sculptural Cafe in Morningside Wrapped in Zen Series Dark Grey Swirls

When Leithal Designs was tasked with the interior of 88 Açai & Frozen Yogurt in Morningside, Queensland, the brief called for something a busy hospitality space rarely achieves — a fit-out that feels both visually striking and genuinely calming. The result is a sculptural, café-meets-gallery interior in which curved mauve-toned ceilings and an arched marble counter are anchored by a single, uninterrupted feature wall: the Zen Series Dark Grey Swirls Matte 300x800mm Porcelain Tile from COCO Tiles and Mosaics.

A Feature Wall That Sets the Tone

Behind the service counter, the Dark Grey Swirls porcelain runs floor-to-ceiling in a continuous large-format installation. The matte finish softens reflections from the warm pendant lighting overhead, while the natural marbled veining draws the eye upward and frames the menu boards without competing with them. In a hospitality space where queueing customers spend several minutes facing the back wall, this kind of quiet, sophisticated backdrop does enormous brand work. It signals craft, calm and quality, all without a single graphic element added.

Why the Zen Series Worked for This Brief

The 300×800 mm format was a deliberate choice. Larger format tiles minimise grout lines, which is critical in food-service environments — fewer joints means a cleaner look and easier daily wipe-downs. The matte porcelain body offers high durability and stain resistance for a high-traffic cafe, while the moody charcoal palette provides perfect contrast against the white statement counter and the cafe's signature mauve and timber accents. You can explore the full Zen Collection to see how the swirled veining can be specified in lighter colourways for residential bathrooms or softer hospitality interiors.

Designer Notes from Leithal Designs

What makes this project a standout COCO Effect feature is the way the tile becomes architecture. Rather than treating the porcelain as a finish, Leithal Designs used it as a structural element — a single sweep of stone-look surface that grounds the playful curves above. The dark grey palette also flatters the cafe's product photography, helping the colourful açai bowls and frozen yogurt cups pop against the wall in customer Instagram posts (a nice secondary win for a hospitality brand).

Get the Look in Your Own Project

If you are designing a cafe, restaurant, retail counter or feature kitchen wall and want the same sense of considered drama, the Zen Series Dark Grey Swirls Matte 300x800mm Porcelain Tile is in stock now and ready to ship Australia-wide. Pair it with brushed brass tapware and warm timber joinery for a hospitality-grade finish, or specify it as a powder-room or laundry feature wall at home.

Featured tile: Zen Series Dark Grey Swirls Matte 300x800mm Porcelain Tile

Designer: Leithal Designs

Location: Morningside, QLD

Project type: Hospitality / Cafe fitout

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