Located on a tree-lined corner in San Francisco’s SoMA neighborhood, the new Blue Bottle Café at 2 South Park transforms the street-level storefront of a former Kohler warehouse into a light-filled café. Inside, a distinctive lattice of plywood box lanterns unifies the space. Thoughtfully arranged between the building’s raw timber columns, the lattice provides a framework for the display of merchandise and coffee-making equipment, while also lending a soft glow to the customer-facing seating areas. Baristas prepare drinks on equipment integrated into a crisp stainless steel and birch plywood bar, while patrons sit and sip coffee at solid ash benches and tables against the windows. The café’s subdued palette of humble materials, elevated through carefully considered detail, showcases the craft of coffee making that is the hallmark of Blue Bottle Coffee.
Credits:
- ACI - General Contractor - Greg Alsterlind
- MHC Engineers, Inc. - MEP Engineer - Eiki Or
- Bohlin Cywinski Jackson - Project Manager - Christopher Orsega
- Bohlin Cywinski Jackson - Design Principal - Gregory Mottola
- Bohlin Cywinski Jackson - Project Designer - Alex Gregor