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SOSO Coffee

Design and Creative Associates

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Bronze
Bronze
Looking through a log with skin. The tape light fitted in the log. - HIROYUKI OKI
View from the entrance. The ceiling is covered with panels with innumerable holes randomly drilled. - HIROYUKI OKI
Detail of log with skin - HIROYUKI OKI
Looking through a log with skin. The tape light fitted in the log. - HIROYUKI OKI

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Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Light
6.38
7.23
7.00
5.85
6.62
Avşar Gurpinar
Avşar Gurpinar Assistant Professor at Istanbul Bilgi University
Very intelligent use of space, crea...
7
8
7
6
7
William Barrington-Binns
William Barrington-Binns Director of Photography at WBB & Co.
8
7
8
6
7.25
Jasper Blüm
Jasper Blüm Senior Designer at Colliers
6
8
8
6
7
Anastasia Karandinou
Anastasia Karandinou Architect, Senior Lecturer at University of East London
7
8
7
6
7
Corien Pompe
Corien Pompe Chairman and Founder at Donna e Mobile
6
8
8
6
7
Chen Xiaohu
Chen Xiaohu Cofounder and Brand Director at BloomDesign
7
6
6
7
6.5
Bret Recor
Bret Recor Founder & Creative Director at Box Clever
7
7
7
7
7
Jason Traves
Jason Traves Chief Creative Officer at Lucky Fox
7
7
7
6
6.75
Johnny Chiu
Johnny Chiu Founder at J.C. Architecture
6
7
6
6
6.25
Richard Parr
Richard Parr Founder at Richard Parr Associates
4
7
5
2
4.5
Li Baolong
Li Baolong Cofounder and Creative Director at BloomDesign
7
6
6
8
6.75
Joanna van der Linden
Joanna van der Linden Global Retail Identity & Design Manager at Nestlé Nespresso
5
7
8
3
5.75
Stefano Giussani
Stefano Giussani CEO at Lissoni New York
6
8
8
7
7.25
Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Bar
5.91
6.45
6.64
5.55
6.14
Jasper Blüm
Jasper Blüm Senior Designer at Colliers
5
5
5
5
5
William Barrington-Binns
William Barrington-Binns Director of Photography at WBB & Co.
7
7
7
6
6.75
Anastasia Karandinou
Anastasia Karandinou Architect, Senior Lecturer at University of East London
6
7
7
6
6.5
Corien Pompe
Corien Pompe Chairman and Founder at Donna e Mobile
7
8
8
6
7.25
Chen Xiaohu
Chen Xiaohu Cofounder and Brand Director at BloomDesign
6
5
6
5
5.5
Bret Recor
Bret Recor Founder & Creative Director at Box Clever
7
7
7
6
6.75
Johnny Chiu
Johnny Chiu Founder at J.C. Architecture
6
7
6
6
6.25
Jason Traves
Jason Traves Chief Creative Officer at Lucky Fox
6
6
7
6
6.25
Richard Parr
Richard Parr Founder at Richard Parr Associates
5
5
5
5
5
Joanna van der Linden
Joanna van der Linden Global Retail Identity & Design Manager at Nestlé Nespresso
4
7
7
3
5.25
Stefano Giussani
Stefano Giussani CEO at Lissoni New York
6
7
8
7
7
Client
SOSO Coffee
Floor area
60 ㎡
Completion
2020

”SOSO coffee” is located on the first floor of a condominium in Hochiminh City, Vietnam. It is located in a housing development area where many wealthy Vietnamese and foreigners live. The client, a Vietnamese owner, loved Japan so much that she was looking for a Japanese designer for this project and started by seeing a restaurant I designed before and contacting me. All she requested was a Japanese-style and elegant space, and the rest was left to me. However, I understood that it is the client's request to focus on the spirituality of the Japanese people and the beauty of the spatial expression based on it, rather than the so-called "Japanese style”. The name of the store, SOSO, is derived from the Japanese word “楚々”, which means pure, beautiful and delicate. That's why I decided to imagine and assemble a Japanese space that fits the word. The store is about 40 m2 excluding the toilet and stairs, which is not so large. To secure the number of seats effectively, it is common practice to place the counter near the wall and use the rest as customer seats. However, instead of focusing solely on efficiency, I thought that a spacious and laid-back space like the Saigon River flowing nearby would be more suitable here. Therefore, I decided to place a large oval counter in the center of the cafe and place a table in the extra space around it. Vietnam is a country where coffee culture has permeated, and I felt that it was necessary to have a space composition with some characteristics in terms of differentiating it from the innumerable other cafes. When a visitor enters the store, he first places an order through the counter, which approaches the entrance, and from there, they naturally move left and right along the oval to be seated. The counter is integrally molded with cast-in-place concrete. Only the side surface is sharpened to expose the crushed stone of the aggregate, and the finish is separated by the edge with the top plate surface. By giving concrete a careful finish like applying it to furniture, it has come to have a new look from the original strength and rough look of concrete. On the bench along the wall, logs with skin integrated with the table are lined up like a grove, and the legs are supported by brass cylinders to give a clean and sharp impression. Brass, which is still shining now, should become more astringent and familiar with the space over time. The tape light fitted in the log emits light toward the wall, and the reflected light gently illuminates the inside of the store. The wood used for the furniture and walls is painted in four different colors: white, gray, brown, and black, with a thin coat of paint to show the wood’s grain and preserve the expression of the wood. The ceiling is covered with panels with innumerable holes randomly drilled. The faint light that leaks from the hole makes the store look like it is surrounded by white snow, and at night it looks like a starry sky. It became a space with different facial expressions throughout the day. The overall color palette is light, and materials were selected so that each one would not overstate its existence. By making the impression of the space even softer with indirect lighting, the space has a gentle atmosphere.