D’espresso is on Madison Avenue, New York. It’s a coffee shop, which has a bit of character. The designers, nemaworkshop, and the client decided that the space needed to stand out to attract “the goal-oriented suits and wandering tourists alike.” The concept was “straightforward, bold and receptive to future locations: take the ordinary and turn it on its side.” The New York Public Library in Bryant Park is nearby, and the décor pays homage to this.
The coffee shop does look like a library that has been put on its side. One wall is covered in a dark brown herringbone pattern, resembling a parquet floor. The floor, ceiling and another wall are lined with books. Except they’re actually tiles printed with sepia-toned photographs of books. Lights pop out horizontally from one wall behind the serving counter.
I love how disorientating it must be to stand inside, and I imagine it could seem quite imposing, however I wish the design had been pushed further. It would have been great if the books on the walls were real, which could have made more of an impact. Customers could have taken them down and maybe read a book whilst drinking a coffee. The floor could have been made of glass and books could have been underneath, perhaps neatly shelved or piled on top of each other, some left open. Despite this, I still admire the design’s connection to the location.
I spotted this earlier today, and I absolutely love it. I think it's such a bold step to have one whole wall devoted to what is essentially a fairly ugly floor, but it really works in relation to the rest of the concept. Just a shame about those horrible see-through plastic swivel chairs!
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant! I love the contrast between the traditional library and the modern coffee bar, agreed about the plastic chairs though, they are horrendous! I'd like it even more if the light fittings were in the traditional style, I just think it would make the illusion/confusion even better.
ReplyDeleteI didn't actually pay much attention to the furniture apart from the counter and lights, but now the white round tables sort of annoy me (more than the chairs)! I'd like it if they didn't stand out so much, maybe if they were made from a dark wood instead...
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