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
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