While most coffee joints did their best to showcase its interior and bustling scenes mostly with a rather open plan, our client intended to turn his shop into a quality quick serving bar with an on-site roastery and an invite-only space planned behind the scenes. 

We divided the space accordingly and created a semi open carved-in area as a standing bar at the storefront which invites customers to step in and enjoy a quick sip, while the front steps and landing area adjacent to sidewalks welcomes a casual sit-and-drink. The intended open layout allows breeze coming down from the trail side to be an enjoyable feature along with the coffee aroma. As for environmental concern, the carved-in plan reduces the area of enclosed interiors which contributes to less AC usage. The layout also takes advantage of the corner location to create a takeaway window by the pedestrian friendly side lane. 

As a request from the client, the bar working area, the roastery and the multi-purpose room must be secured and invite-only with certain privacy. This tasks our design as we suggest the interior activities better be revealed rather than blocked. This is where sought-after materials come into play. We adapted polycarbonate panels with desired opaqueness framed with precisely fabricated painted steel frames as the main intervention which serves as spatial dividers and light diffuser for an incredible illuminating effect on both interior and exterior given different hours of a day. Given budget and regulation constrains, most area of the exterior finish was left untouched as a poetic contrast to our interventions. 

The purpose of the multi-function room was better defined as we incorporated those light induced panels. Cupping seminar or lecture programs will be held from time to time with the activity vibes “revealed” to street passer-by via silhouettes and sound which is teasingly contagious. During the daytime, customers are invited inside to enjoy their coffee at their slowest pace. Indoor gardening is curated for a meditating ambience. Apart from enjoying the coffee at the standing bar or outdoor seating, another exceptional coffee drinking experience is served behind the scenes. 

The overall design gives a rational yet dreamy picture thanks to the novel material reinterpretation and precise fabrication. We let the subtle elements do the talk. Light matters. Color matters. Translucency matters. Geometry matters. So do perceptions from taste bud to the sense of time.