Unison Of Function, Aesthetics And Warm Tones Of Wood In This Cafe Design

Unison Of Function, Aesthetics And Warm Tones Of Wood In This Cafe Design | Indian story

Posted On November 07 2020 Total Post Views :- 3685

Unison Of Function, Aesthetics And Warm Tones Of Wood In This Cafe Design | Indian story

The Design intent

The brand is known well for its warm, cozy, neighborhood social/ co-working space setting; This was the first cafe outlet the client was set to open in mall space. The brief from the client was to make space follow the same language as the other cafes, without letting the high ceilings and the rigidity in the mall design and guidelines come in way of a beautiful personal experience of the place.

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We thus chose to let the shell of the space be as in, imperfections and all, and let the parts we wanted the brain to focus on, be warm and cozy. The care taken in the detail of the large elements that rule space is the main reason it worked beautifully when the structure remained untouched; complete in its incompletion.

The spatial configuration

The layout is designed to divide the space into zones with different seating types, while still keeping it open and social. The colours, fabric, wood tones, signage, and lighting are specifically put together to make the place inviting. Even the glazing is treated with curved wood frames.

The material palette

Walnut wood, exposed concrete matte black paint, off-white paint, glass.

The challenges

Space was designed to have exposed services. The structure is kept untouched, service lines and conduits are designed to be clean, to accentuate the perfection in the imperfection of the ceiling. Working with the mall requirements was a huge challenge, as we decided to complement the space without false ceilings. The various service lines would run through space, we had to work towards drawing less attention to these lines. The plot in the mall was not designed to be an F’n’B plot. This had its own set of challenges because of the lack of ventilation and other services.

The highlights

We designed and manufactured our own furniture for this project too. We usually do spend a lot of effort and time in getting the details right. Retaining the raw cement finish was something quite pivotal in the direction it gave to our design. The brew bar’s counter is bound to the existing exposed concrete column. That element stands out, accentuating the wabi-sabi look we were going for. This presence of in situ cement along with the usage of raw wood worked as an eye-striking combination.

The lessons learnt:

Working on this project was a beautiful experience. Any experience comes with it’s fair share of learning. We learnt the importance of working on a fast paced project where every decision taken impacts the overall time. Designing and planning the workflow of a commercial kitchen along with the necessary ventilation was a learning curve we were determined to cross.

What is your favourite aspect of the project

The warmth we were able to achieve with space was a result of using elements that were available on site in combination with the warm tones of the wood. It looks like a perfect marriage of function and aesthetics that reigns the visual order.