#HTE

Submerged in the subway beneath New York City’s Financial District, Voyager Espresso is a new speciality coffee bar inspired by the intergalactic world. The space is owned by Aussie exapt Aaron Barnard, who commissioned Only If to translate his artistic-come-scientific approach to brewing coffee into the design of the unusually located space.

Barnard was very keen to avoid the clichéd design language normally associated with artisanal coffee culture (think subway tiles, recycled timber, exposed bulbs and handwritten signs), and we salute him for trying something new – it’s super refreshing to see and we love what his team has come up with.

The repetition of circular forms enforces the lunar aesthetic, seen in the globular volumes in the space planning, perforated material use and rounded furniture selections. The space planning features two large circle volumes; one for service that reads as a positive volume, and another hollowed out bunker-style space for seating. These volumes create a variety of social settings for patrons – intimate or exposed, solo or collective.

Spaceship-esque lighting strips accentuate the curved forms, and the material palette of perforated aluminium, black marble, copper, black rubber and blocked lunar colours complete the futuristic aesthetic. A stand out feature is the wall cladding, crafted with orient strand board that has been given a lick of aluminium enamel paint – a budget friendly yet unexpectedly luxe technique. We applaud them!

Related Posts:
Stories On Design // Perfectly Perforated.
Beautiful Buildings Below The Ground.

[Images courtesy of Only If. Photography courtesy of Michael Vahrenwald (Esto).]

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