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Melk Coffee Bar

La Firme Design & Alexandre Baldwin

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Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Restaurant
5.43
5.29
5.93
4.36
5.25
Liz Gallagher
Liz Gallagher Studio Director at March and White Design
6
6.5
6
5.5
6
Leendert Tange
Leendert Tange Creative Partner at Storeage-Group
6
7.5
8
5
6.63
Ronnie Belizaire
Ronnie Belizaire Studio Practice Leader and Principal at HKS Inc.
6.25
5.75
6
5
5.75
Yan Pan
Yan Pan Cofounder and Chief Architect at SpActrum
5
6
6.5
5.5
5.75
Preeti Singh
Preeti Singh Brand Director at India Design ID
7
6
7
6
6.5
Anne-Laure Pingreoun
Anne-Laure Pingreoun Founder at Alter-Projects
6
6.5
7
5
6.13
Tanya Suvannapong
Tanya Suvannapong Design Director at Gensler
6.5
7
7
5.5
6.5
Andrea Zickhardt
Andrea Zickhardt Managing Director at Holzer Kobler Architekturen
6
7
7
4
6
Quan Huang
Quan Huang Chief Designer at WJID
6.11
5
5.95
5
5.52
Judy Dowle
Judy Dowle Associate Design Director at Studio XAG
6
7
7
6
6.5
Claude Saos
Claude Saos Head of interior architecture and design at LISAA Strasbourg
6
7
7
5
6.25
Julia Chiaramonti
Julia Chiaramonti Founder at Julia Chiaramonti
6.02
6.08
5.45
5.13
5.67
Ismael Abedin Ingelmo
Ismael Abedin Ingelmo Founder and Director at DXMID
6.65
5.77
7.17
5.86
6.36
Servaas Vehmeijer
Servaas Vehmeijer Partner and Managing Director at The Invisible Party
6
7
6
5
6
Client
Melk Café St Urbain
Floor area
85 ㎡
Completion
2019
Co-designer
Alexandre Baldwin
Co-designer
Zoé De Passillé

The new Melk Coffee Bar was not only a design-thinking tightrope walk between necessity and aesthetics, but a reminder of how much thought can go into aspects of design that people might overlook. The difficult space had to fit an existing brand and be elevated for future roll outs. A triangular floor plan with a curved wall and space tapering to 2’ wide made for strict tolerances. We took a production line-style approach, putting sleek machines on display, with a consumer path encouraging browsing and employee-client interaction. Tables near the counter are raised to bar height on platforms and benches push ergonomic limits to meet a 24-person occupancy. The original space was cramped. Our aesthetic approach emphasized the timelessness of raw materials within a limited palette. We turned the narrowing end into the back store and uncovered everything--architectural details, raw concrete, plumbing and 14’ ceilings. Light paint, atypical use of ceramics, and wood provide organic accents.