Arhitektura Budjevac, an architectural design studio based in Serbia, had the task to create a fresh looking coffee shop, the first one of the future “Stock Coffee” franchise. In order to transform a former retail space into a coffee shop, they removed all unnecessary elements of the interior, exposing its concrete ceiling, walls, beams, and columns.
The coffee shop consists of two L-shaped spaces, one above the other, connected visually and spatially by an atrium. A large wall, 32 feet long and 16 feet high, stretches through the whole coffee shop and is used as a blackboard: its hand-drawn decorations are made by the young Serbian artist Jelena Ilić. This concept of wall art is the result of a collaboration between the design studio and the artist.
In order to offset the harshness of the industrial space and give a warmer, more welcoming atmosphere, wood is integrated into some of the walls alongside the raw concrete elements. The furniture is placed in order to make the coffee shop more relaxed and informal. Some old, metal sewer pipes are also left visible, going through both stories, but covered with special rubber-like insulation for a softer look.
The entire coffee shop spreads on 1075 square feet and has around 50 seats. The furniture enhances functional and visual variety. Thonet chairs dominating the space are painted black with some of them in a beige tone, similar to espresso foam. Euro palettes are customized to serve as low-seating coffee tables, adding a custom touch to the seating.
The lighting, dominated by metal spot reflectors and combined with natural looking pendants made of paper, brings a softer edge to the whole ambiance and fits the overall industrial look.
As a little social media experiment in the era of selfies, catchy writings are visible on the bathroom mirrors. This incites many clients to take selfies and share them on social media, thus creating a fun new marketing possibility.