The most unique design element is the movable furniture and the partitions. The idea of things flipping, such as the bar, the tables and the lights, and the bold quirky graphics that give an illusion of pop music and culture
Abhigyan Neogi & Kanika Suri
Fact File
Area: 6700 sq.ft
Location: Lower Parel, Mumbai
Budget: 2.5 cr
Completion: August 2017
Project duration: 6 months
Photos: Suryan//Dang
Text: Ar. Himani Ahuja
The design creates a space that can easily accommodate and transform the space as per the events and showcase MTV in all its glory. Hence, a café design that literally ‘flips’. The intent was to create a dynamic and ever-changing space. Each of the functional element in the café like lighting, furniture and partitions alter the atmosphere for different times of the day during breakfast, lunch, and dinner or for special occasions.
Since the site did not have any outdoor spaces, the design team receded the indoor area to open a chunk of the site. The indoor area houses a bar, and a multi-functional stage suspended from the ceiling. Movable partitions further create smaller pockets for a variety of seating zones, workspaces, meeting areas and casual dining. These partitions, designed in modules, form various configurations that make the furniture layout dynamic and flexible.
The second zone, separated from the indoor wall with pivoted clear windows, is more casual and laidback, with large, arched windows of the mill building retained to lend a feel of the outdoors. The outdoor area has an ancillary cocktail van in the form of a camper, and wooden benches, hammock chairs and ledges for informal seating.
To create a sense of a bare shell building, the walls have been chiseled, with stained brick and the original concrete. The terrazzo floor was cast in situ and has Kadappa stone in leather finish. The partitions are of mild steel, finished in lacquer polish for a raw look, and there are handmade glazed tiles in the toilets.
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The furniture was designed to be flexible as the café is a workplace during the day and an event space in the night. Quirky elements such as flipping table tops, hammock chairs and piano sofas reflect the brand’s bold style. Art installation using hot wheels, a selfie wall at the entrance with musical instruments, and transformable bar graphic panels, add to the eclectic décor elements.
