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    Locally produced tiles clad walls and table in Blue Bottle Coffee shop in Nagoya

    Japanese studio Keiji Ashizawa Design sourced local materials for the design of Blue Bottle Coffee cafe in Nagoya, Japan, which features tiles across its surfaces and lamps made from pottery plates.

    The studio used tiles across the walls, floors and tables of the cafe, which were all produced by local manufacturer Ceramic Olive Bricks.
    “This cafe is located in the Chukyo area of central Japan, an area that excels in manufacturing, so we decided to make the most of it,” Keiji Ashizawa Design’s founder Keiji Ashizawa told Dezeen.
    Tiles cover the walls in this Blue Bottle Coffee cafe in Nagoya”We used a lot of tiles on the walls this time,” Ashizawa added.
    “Inspired by Blue Bottle Coffee’s philosophy of valuing the local, we decided to use tiles that are produced in the Chukyo area,” he continued.

    “These tiles are used to cover the structural walls of the building that exist as pillars to create three frames.”
    A table at the centre of the space is also tiledAs well as cladding the walls in tiles, the studio used them to demarcate seating areas and created a tile-clad table as a centrepiece of the 311-square-metre space.
    “We designed the table specifically for the space,” Ashizawa explained. “The tiles used are different from the wall tiles but are from the same tile manufacturer, glazed for easy cleaning.”
    Wooden furniture is used throughout the space”We thought that the cafe, which often serves as a lounge in a large building, needs to have a central space where everyone can remember,” Ashizawa added.
    “When deciding to create a large centre table, we thought a tiled table would be both iconic and appropriate for this space.”
    Tiling also lines parts of the floor of the cafeThe cafe features wooden furniture throughout and is decorated with rounded wall sconces and pendant lamps made from pottery plates.
    “The pendant and wall lamps are made of pottery plates from the same region as the tiles, and are also used as tableware in the store,” Ashizawa said.
    “The surface gives a soft, diffused light, where the light hitting the slightly uneven edges of the plate adds a touch of craft.”
    Above the counter is a brass lamp that references Nagoya CastleIn addition, the studio drew on a local monument for the interior design. Above the main tiled table, a mobile adds an extra decorative touch.
    “The lighting on the counter finished in brass colour was created in homage to the famous ornaments on the top of Nagoya Castle,” the designer said.

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    “The mobile that looks like a tree branch was designed by an architect friend who also designed the Blue Bottle Coffee Fukuoka cafe,” continued Ashizawa.
    “Depending on how the light hits, it appears as if it is a lighting fixture. The delicate mobile, named In the Sky, made of brass subtly defines the place and creates a charming atmosphere.”
    A slim mobile hangs above the main tableThe interior has an earthy colour palette with pink-coloured tiles.
    “The elegant pink color of the tiles, the gray floor and walls, added with the natural wood and textiles of the furniture were chosen to work in harmony with one another,” Ashizawa said.
    The cafe is located in Nagoya’s Chunichi BuildingThe Chunichi Building, in which the cafe is located, is a well-known Nagoya landmark that was formerly a theatre and now houses a hotel. This also influenced how Ashozawa thought about the design of the space.
    “The cafe was conditioned to be on the ground floor of the building that is familiar to the locals with its historical existence and the newly constructed hotel floors,” he said.
    “I had the inspiration to somehow add value to the place by making it not just a cafe, but more of a lounge space in a hotel that provides a sense of comfort.”
    The Blue Bottle Coffee shop is the seventh designed by Keiji AshizawaThis is the seventh Blue Bottle Coffee cafe designed by Keiji Ashizawa Design, with others including a shop in Shanghai’s Qiantan area with a glazed facade and another in Kobe’s Hankyu department store that takes advantage of its display windows.
    According to Ashizawa, the studio aims to tailor the different designs to suit their surroundings.
    “For all of them, it is always a pleasure to have discussions about local, landscape, and the culture of the place and country to be utilized in designing the store,” he concluded.
    “Indeed, this is what makes them a challenging project as every store has its own character and constraints.”
    The photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.
    Project credits:
    Architect: Keiji Ashizawa DesignProject architect: Keiji Ashizawa and Chaoyen WuConstruction: TANKTiles: Ceramic Olive IncFurniture: Karimoku and Karimoku CaseLighting design: Aurora and Yoshiki IchikawaPendant, wall lamp shade and logo plate: Juzan

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    EBBA references modernist architecture at WatchHouse coffee shop

    Architecture studio EBBA has completed a store for coffee brand WatchHouse that draws on modernist design to provide a calming environment in the heart of the City of London.

    Situated in the 30 Fenchurch Street building of the Square Mile financial district, the store was designed by EBBA for coffee company WatchHouse, which has several cafes around London and also sells its own roasts.
    The store interior references modernist architectureHaving previously completed several other stores for the brand, EBBA was tasked with transforming an empty unit in the landmark office development into an inviting space aimed at attracting visitors from the adjacent lobby.
    “This store offered the opportunity to think carefully about how to make a high quality and calming retail environment that also caters to the flexible operation of the visitors and the building in which it sits,” EBBA founder Benni Allan told Dezeen.
    The space aims to offer a calming environmentThe project brief called for a space focused on retail that also integrates a bar for serving customers. The interior has a more open and relaxed feel than the brand’s other locations, which operate more like typical coffee shops.

    With ample comfortable seating available in the adjacent atrium, EBBA chose to incorporate different settings where customers can rest while waiting for their coffee.
    Furniture including lounge chairs arranged around a coffee table and bar stools at the counter allow the space to be used in a variety of ways.
    Wooden seating is provided in an adjacent atriumElements of the shop’s design are informed by European modernist architecture. In particular, Allan drew on the large lobbies of banks and civic buildings such as libraries, which he said seem to “carry a particular feeling of calmness”.
    Referencing the work of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, EBBA used grid patterns and clean lines to bring order to the interior, while sculptural objects help to partition the space.
    “The overall concept was to create the sense of a box within a box,” Allan added. “The reference to Miesian buildings can be understood in wanting to establish a clear logic to the space through its grid and making objects that help to demarcate space.”

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    EBBA designed and built all of the furniture for the store, including the eight-metre-long stainless steel counter that forms the centrepiece of the space. This monolithic element is used for coffeemaking as well as providing a communal workspace.
    The large coffee table made from blocks of solid oak is intended to resemble stacked timber. Its construction echoes the grid of slatted timber panels cladding the ceiling.
    EBBA chose a material palette that reflects WatchHouse’s goal to create places people want to spend time in. Warm and natural tones and textures offer a respite from the busy urban setting.
    An eight-metre stainless steel counter centres the space”We opted for warm oak panelling, which gracefully cocoons the space, and a unique Ceppo stone floor, which enhances the store’s gridded pattern whilst complementing the feeling of civic grandeur,” said the architects.
    The rear wall is lined with full-height cabinets that conceal the necessary utility spaces, adding to the store’s sense of cohesion and simplicity.
    Minimalist shelving used to display WatchHouse’s simply packaged produce blend in with the relaxed setting.
    All of the furniture was designed and built by EBBAEBBA has worked with WatchHouse on several of its venues, including another site within the 30 Fenchurch Street building that also looks to balance contemporary aesthetics with nods to the City of London’s heritage.
    The studio, founded in 2017 by Spanish architect Benni Allan, has completed a number of projects in London including a temporary education centre built using only reusable components and a residential extension that combines brutalist-style materials with details inspired by a Roman villa.
    The photography is courtesy of EBBA. 

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    Colour-drenched coffee shop by Uchronia references “sunsets in the Tunisian desert”

    Gradated lava stone flooring and suspended planet-like orbs feature at the Cafe Nuances coffee shop in Paris, which was created by Dezeen Awards-nominated studio Uchronia.

    Located on the city’s Rue de la Tremoille, the coffee shop is the third Uchronia-designed branch for Parisian coffee roaster Cafe Nuances.
    Cafe Nuances’ latest branch has a bright white facadeThe one-room shop is fronted by a bright white facade in stark contrast to its vivid-hued interior.
    Studio founder Julien Sebban was informed by the landscapes he experienced on a recent trip to Tunisia when creating the cafe’s walls and lava stone flooring, which are decorated in ombre swathes of red, orange and blue.
    The colorful interior was informed by sunsets in Tunisia”They reminded him of the sunsets in the Tunisian desert – a veritable ode to the gentleness of summer days,” said the studio, known for its playfully eclectic designs and shortlisted in the emerging interior designer category at this year’s upcoming Dezeen Awards.

    The coffee shop’s entrance is flanked by two bright red benches topped with metallic-effect fabric – one curved, and the other straight.
    Uchronia crafted the counter from stainless steelLow-slung interlocking tables, which can double as stools, can be reconfigured to suit customers’ needs.
    Uchronia placed a chunky stainless steel counter at the back of the intimate cafe, which is overlooked by deep orange lacquered shelving – a design element found in the other two Cafe Nuances outlets.

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    “This new address picks up on the codes present in the second shop, accentuating the [coffee] brand’s colourful, futuristic retro universe,” explained the studio.
    A cluster of striking, spherical objects were finished in the same colours as the rest of the space and suspended from the reflective ceiling.
    Planet-like orbs add decoration to the space”Unlike [this branch’s] two big sisters, whose interiors feature striated shapes, here, the poly mirror tiles are complemented by half-spheres in saturated colours, accentuating the dreamlike feel of the coffee shop,” continued Uchronia.
    “They create the illusion of floating balls, which could be mistaken for Saturn.”
    Bespoke interlocking tables also function as stoolsThe studio previously livened up a Haussman-era Paris apartment for a pair of jewellery designers with furniture crafted to nod to the appearance of precious stones.
    Elsewhere, Canadian design duo Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster created a sky-blue coffee shop in a century-old house in Buffalo, New York, with an optical illusion staircase.
    The photography is by Félix Dol Maillot.

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    Fourteen Stones Design revamps Tokyo warehouse into “coffee gastronomy” cafe

    Tokyo-based Fourteen Stones Design has designed the Koffee Mameya Kakeru cafe for barista Eiichi Kunitomo in a former water transportation hub in Kiyosumi Shirakawa.

    Set in the Kiyosumi Shirakawa area of Tokyo, the coffee shop occupies a warehouse which Fourteen Stones Design renovated and extended “to preserve the appearance of the old warehouse as much as possible”.
    Koffee Mameya Kakeru is in an old warehouseThe studio removed the shutters from the front of the warehouse, adding a glass facade. The rest of the building, including the interiors, remains as it was – with minimal repairs made to the walls.
    It aimed “to make everyday coffee an extraordinary experience” with a full “course of coffee” served by baristas and the renovation has been designed to facilitate this.
    The white oak structure frames the coffee barA staggered rectangular frame of white oak at the entrance of the cafe, which echoes the coffee package design, dominates the interior space and provides a central visual motif for the scheme.

    This frame divides the entrance space from the main cafe where a U-shaped bar surrounding the barista workstations was placed.

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    The barista’s workbenches, which were made from black granite, were deliberately placed at the centre of the space to create “a stage set-up, which enables baristas to fully demonstrate their skills”.
    Besides the new seating area, restrooms, a kitchen, a laboratory and office space have all been renovated.
    Baristas work at black granite counters
    The service and bar countertops were made from “Jura Yellow” limestone. Featuring fossils from the Jura period, it was chosen for its texture and also for allusions to the passage of time – not only echoed in the coffee growing, roasting and brewing processes but also the journey of the brand from its inception 10 years ago.
    Fourteen Stones Design’s Yosuke Hayashi designed the custom furniture for the cafe in the same white oak as the frame structure. It was manufactured by Japanese company E&Y for the project.
    The space aims to create a “gastronomic experience” for coffee drinkersThe cafe’s owner Kunitomo believes baristas “act as a bridge between the customer and the roastery” and should be given “a social status comparable to that of a sommelier”.
    Baristas at Koffee Mameya Kakeru will serve single cups of coffee through to full courses of coffee, “elevated by the newly designed space to the realm of gastronomy”, according to the practice.
    Fourteen Stones Design has been shortlisted in the restaurant and bar interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards. Other projects in the running include a rattan restaurant in Bangkok by Enter Projects Asia Co. and YODEZEEN’s Japanese restaurant in Kyiv’s city centre.
    The photography is by Ooki Jingu.

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    Renesa uses contrasting terracotta and terrazzo materials to create all-day cafe in New Delhi

    New Delhi-based architecture and interior design studio Renesa juxtaposed terracotta and terrazzo materials to design a space that acts as a cafe by day and a bar by night.

    The eatery, which is called Rosie and Tillie, was named by its owners – chefs Anukriti Anand and Vicky Mandal – who wanted to create a hybrid open-plan brunch and cocktail bar.
    Curved booths run down the middle of Renesa’s cafe in Delhi”The cafe expatiates on the dichotomy of a woman who goes by the name Rosie in the morning and Tillie in the evening,” Renesa head architect Sanchit Arora told Dezeen.
    “While chef Anukriti Anand, an expert in bakery, wanted a space that could be called a daytime cafe with cakes and coffees and beverages, they also wanted something that could serve yet another mood; one of night, exclusivity and sombreness,” he added.
    The studio implemented a contrasting rust and white colour paletteNestled in a former Indian restaurant in a shopping mall in New Delhi’s Saket neighbourhood, the cafe features terracotta, warm white terrazzo and curvilinear architectural motifs.

    Customers enter Rosie and Tillie through an outdoor seating section that is decorated in the same materials and colour palette as the cafe’s interior.
    Once inside, guests are welcomed by a row of rust-coloured and creamy white booths upholstered with plush white seats, which run through the centre of the 1,700 square-foot space. These add texture and warmth as well as privacy for diners.
    Booths and walls are clad in the same tilesRenesa, which recently completed a brick-clad showroom interior in Delhi, made the sculptural “spine” that divides the space into different zones the focal point for the mixed-use site.
    “We took an axis as the starting point for our project,” said Arora. “A curvilinear spine divides the space not just spatially, creating efficient zones, but also metaphorically, animating the personalities of Rosie and Tillie.”
    The studio threaded white terrazzo throughoutEach booth has a circular table in its middle where customers can dine on menu items such as french toast, buffalo chicken burgers and American-style pancakes.
    During the evening, they can sip cocktails while sitting on high stools at the main bar counter towards the back of the room.

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    One half of the room is lined in pale flooring and has an earthy red paint applied overhead, while the other half of the room is decorated in the opposite colours.
    Red brick tiles along the walls envelop the space while industrial looking metal lights hang overhead along the length of the plan, uniting the two sides of the space.
    The space has a mixture of traditional table seats and bar counter options”The perimeter of the floor plan is dotted by dining nooks that make way for communal dining in intimate groups illuminated by bespoke luminaires that are artistic installations in their own right,” explained Arora.
    “The hybrid of experiences ranging from the daytime bistro-esque identity morphs effortlessly into the moody lounge by evening via the vocabulary of materiality and lighting that render the venue in a binate mien void of physical demarcations,” he added.
    Other recent cafes featured on Dezeen include a serene eatery in Melbourne called Au79 cafe by Australian studio Mim Design and the Connie-Connie cafe at the Copenhagen Contemporary art gallery which Danish studio Tableau and designer Ari Prasetya filled with wooden chairs by designers.
    Photography is by Niveditaa Gupta.

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