Tile by fire

I think I can say with some certainty that the City Tiler is unlike any other builder's merchants in Australia. Occupying Bay Street's most interesting historical building, the old courthouse, is a unique business ostensibly focused on selling artisan tiles for the modern home. The hand-written sign advertising morning coffee provides only a faint hint of the Abbotsford Convent like experience to be had inside.

 

With its Italianate architecture, open fire, antique wooden bar and every surface in sight stripped bare, this place exudes rustic charm. The slightly eccentric staff help make the place feel more like a hippy commune than a retail venture, but maybe this is an intentional ploy to make the sort of arty types that will want to adorn their walls with their products feel at ease. For the rest of us it's a deliciously alternative place to enjoy some homemade organic soup and a coffee.