Designed by Rust Collective, Anjaneyar is a neighbourhood café in Chembur, Mumbai that interprets the spatial language of traditional South Indian homes and everyday canteens through a contemporary lens. The project involved the adaptive reuse of an existing godown, with minimal yet strategic interventions to improve light, ventilation, and spatial clarity within a tight construction timeline.
Anjaneyar Brings the Warmth of South Indian Homes to a Neighbourhood Café | Rust Collective
The process itself was deeply collaborative. Unlike conventional architecture projects, the design and execution evolved together through active participation. It brings distributed authorship to the forefront of the design process. This project evolved through continuous dialogue between the architect, contractor, client, the owner of the original structure, and the café’s brand designer.Several key decisions emerged from this exchange.
The architect and brand designer jointly developed the colour palette. The client’s non-negotiables shaped the kitchen layout, which also meets restaurant-grade equipment standards. Openings and fenestrations responded to the constraints of the existing structure and the permissions of the owner. The team shaped material choices and detailing through ongoing conversations about budget, availability, and on-site practicality. The contractor also played a central role in translating the design intent on site.
The front entrance opens into a bright, living-area-like space. A large window façade and clerestory windows bring in abundant morning sunlight. Exposed steel members and a corrugated sloping roof add height to the space. Suspended globe lights and ceiling fans create a soft, domestic rhythm. High-level openings and windows frame the canopies of surrounding trees. Filtered daylight and views of the landscape further connect the interiors with their surroundings.
Materiality remains restrained and functional. Rustic IPS walls run throughout the café, paired with the flooring that grounds the space and reinforces its utilitarian character. Simple wooden tables, benches, and stools—reminiscent of traditional canteens—are arranged in linear configurations to encourage shared seating and informal interaction. A modest wooden service counter and freestanding plants add tactile contrast and anchor the space visually.
Custom hand-embroidered textile artworks by Krupa Shah (SOAWN) are integrated into the interiors as framed pieces and soft partitions, introducing texture, craft, and narrative without disrupting the architectural restraint. Together, these elements allow Anjaneyar to stand apart from Mumbai’s homogenised café interiors, offering a rooted, memory-driven environment shaped by light, material honesty, and everyday familiarity.
Fact File
Designed by: Rust Collective
Project Type: Café Interior Design
Project Name: Anjaneyar
Location: Chembur, Mumbai
Principal Designer: Dhruv Sachala, Neel Shah & Pratik Shah
Photograph Courtesy: onthemoveisland
Firm’s Instagram Link: Rust Collective
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