In partnership with Breville.

There’s a certain clarity that comes with early mornings — when the house is quiet, before the emails start rolling in and the to-do list takes hold. For many of us, that moment begins with coffee. And with Breville’s Oracle Dual Boiler, it becomes something even more precise — a ritual of rhythm, focus, and indulgence.

During the week, life moves fast. The Oracle Dual Boiler’s automated functions are designed for just that: giving you delicious coffee with minimal input, so you can move through the morning with purpose. But come the weekend, when time stretches a little longer, the same machine invites you to slow down — with manual controls that give you full creative freedom over every detail of your brew.

It’s this duality — of automation and performance, efficiency and expression — that underpins our conversation with three Australian creatives. Architect Brad Swartz, florist and creative director Christelle Scifo, and creative technologist Mikka Byarugaba each shared with RUSSH how their coffee rituals ground their week, spark creativity, and offer space to reset. Whether it’s a sprint to the studio or a slow morning at home, it’s in these small, deliberate moments that brilliance begins.

Christelle Scifo

During the week, life can feel like a sprint – what does your morning routine look like when you’re in “weekday mode”?

No two days are the same for me throughout the week, however early mornings are the norm. I can work up to 18 hours a day, bouncing between the flower markets, my studio, and restaurants and event spaces throughout Sydney. Coffee is the first thing that starts my day, and the thing that gets me through it. 

Many people find their most creative moments in the quiet rituals of the day – how does coffee, or the act of drinking/making it, inspire or influence your creativity?

It’s the thing I look forward to waking up. I also love the ritual of taking one with me out to market, where I can get my thoughts together. Having a warm drink on hand I find quite comforting – a bit of a reward. I like to break up the day by treating myself as I do a job, or tick something off my to-do list, by indulging in just one more to keep me going throughout the day. 

Creativity often thrives in contrast – fast bursts of inspiration and slower moments of reflection. How do you balance those two states in your work and life?

Balance is something I constantly am striving towards. My days can be rather large, and I’m constantly in movement –  coffee kind of connects each part of my day. Come the weekend, I need that downtime, that escape to nature, to balance out the intensity and the excitement of the week. 

Brad Swartz

Many people find their most creative moments in the quiet rituals of the day – how does coffee, or the act of drinking/making it, inspire or influence your creativity?

I really enjoy the process of creating and I guess the ritual of creating. And that’s something that has provided my love of architecture. But the process of making a coffee in some ways is similar. It’s just a nice little moment to create something that you can then enjoy.

What role does ritual play in how you start your day, and how does that shape the rest of it?

I find having a ritual at the start of the day – and throughout the day – is really important for me. Our practice is essentially specialised in inner city work, which means we end up with lots of smaller projects, as opposed to some architecture offices which might have a few big ones. And because of that it means we have to make a lot of decisions throughout the day, and we’ve got to be really focused on getting those decisions right. So to manage decision fatigue, I think having a ritual, where you know what you’re doing – you almost go on autopilot – is a really nice thing that allows the focus of your day to be on the right things.

If you could describe your perfect coffee moment in three words, what would they be?

Shared with friends. 

Mikka Byarugaba

During the week, life can feel like a sprint – what does your morning routine look like when you’re in “weekday mode”?

My weekdays usually start quite early, around 6am. I wake up to the BBC news, have a morning walk if I'm being good. When I get back home, I have breakfast, and a quick cup of coffee with a few tabs of YouTube recommendations. After that, I properly start my day by catching up on emails, doing some 3D design, and creative commissions. Around the afternoon, it’s time for me to have meetings, and hands-on experimentation with my new software. 

When the weekend arrives and you have more time, how does your coffee ritual change?

During the weekend, when I have more time, I like to play with my coffee machine a bit more, using the manual settings – experimenting with the type of milk that I’m using, or the grain size. I like to make new recipes, so to speak, whether it be a mocha, or a different milk. 

How do you create small moments of indulgence or beauty in the everyday?

I create small moments of indulgence and beauty in my everyday by relishing in sweet treats. Making a hot chocolate, but making it super frothy, and enjoying every single sip of that. That’s indulgence to me. 

If you could describe your perfect coffee moment in three words, what would they be?

My perfect coffee moment (in a little bit more than three words) would be me, morning sun, and an iced latte.

VIDEOGRAPHY Bill Mansfield

EXECUTIVE FASHION DIRECTOR Hannah Cooper

STYLIST ON SET Koby Dulac-Daley

TALENT Brad Swartz, Mikka Byarugaba, Christelle Scifo

HAIR & MAKEUP Cat Smith @ AP REPS

GROOMING Cherry Cheung @ Vivian’s Creative

VIDEOGRAPHY’S ASSISTANT Nick Sheehan

PRODUCTION Olivia Repaci