Voyager Espresso
Located in a subway concourse in the Financial District, the design for a coffee bar proposes a single coherent organization for the space based upon two circles: a counter for the Barista Station (“Mission Control”) and a niche for banquette seating (the “Grotto”). The Barista Station can be read as a positive volume, whereas the Grotto can be read as negative volume excavated from the surrounding walls.
In contrast to the artisanal aesthetic of contemporary coffee culture, the coffee shop’s design refers to the namesake spacecraft and scientific approach behind Voyager Espresso. The material palette also seeks to avoid the clichéd language of white tile, reclaimed wood, and exposed Edison bulbs. The walls are clad in OSB, which is transformed through the application of aluminum enamel paint. Work surfaces consist of black marble countertop, which plays off the texture of the walls. Elsewhere, perforated aluminum, copper, and black rubber are used. The cumulative effect is inexpensive yet futuristic.
Practically, the layout consolidates the storage and back of house at the rear of the space, and maximizes visibility of Voyager Espresso along its glass storefront to the subway concourse. The layout creates a variety of different social settings for seating; from individual to collective, and from intimate to exposed.
Project Information
Type | Retail, Interior |
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Location | New York, NY |
Status | Completed, December 2015 |
Scale | 550 SF |
Consultants | Dot Dash (Lighting Consultant) |
Photography | Michael Vahrenwald / Esto |
Team | Karolina Czeczek, Matthew Davis, Adam Frampton, Francesca Pagliaro, James Schrader, Jon Siani |
Awards
2016 Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Awards, Honorable Mention, Retail / Hospitality
2016 Azure Magazine AZ Awards, Award of Merit, Commercial Interiors
Selected Press and Publications
The Architect’s Newspaper 02/10/2016 (online) &
03/02/2016 (print, PDF)
Superfuture 02/11/2016
Archdaily 02/19/2016
Hypebeast (China) 02/22/2016
Urdesign 02/22/2016
Sprudge: Coffee News & Culture 02/22/2016
Frame 02/23/2016 (online) & Frame #111 Jul/Aug 2016 (print)
Architectural Digest 03/16/2016
Hinge Magazine (Hong Kong) April 2016 (print, PDF)
The New Yorker 04/02/2016
MARU 171 (Korea) June 2016
Bon Appetit 01/24/2017
AN Interior March/April 2017 (print, PDF)
Dezeen 02/05/2018
Architektura & Biznes (Poland) 04/2018
Architectural Digest 05/29/2018