The Vespa served as inspiration, and a constant reference point for the design of Motore Coffee. The owner, a Vespa enthusiast, requested a cafe that would feel both modern and industrial yet also inviting and comfortable.
The existing concrete floor was retained. Custom steel handrails were left natural. The ceiling and mechanical equipment were painted and left exposed. Set within this "industrial" wrapper and in contrast to it are the more custom and finished elements of the coffee bar and the soffit that defines it. Forty feet of exposed storage and equipment niches along the back wall are screened from view by amber warehouse strip curtains.
A revolving show of customer and employee art is displayed on a grid of 21 masonite clipboards mounted on the wall of the seating alcove. Below, eight Vespa seats turned on end form the back rests for the16 foot banquette seat bench.