hong kong’s ‘cafe wander’ is designed in two halves by absence from island + studio etain ho
the cozy cafe space is unified by the white above and contrasted with the color below.
in the tai kok tsui area of hong kong, absence from island has collaborated with studio etain ho to design a cozy cafe. named cafe wander, the client wanted to create a calm refuge from the fast-paced city.
front façade – divided into green below and white above
all images by xue lan xin
the design concept came from the given chinese name of the cafe – 浮生 – which means to live your life as if you are wandering around and as if you are ‘gently floating above water’. the client initially wanted to bring in characteristic old objects, but in reality, they made the cafe look cluttered and messy. considering the modest floor area – 646 ft2 (60 m2) – and low ceiling, the designers instead came up with the idea to divide the wall space and ‘let the old sink’ to the bottom half, leaving the top half free and clean.
bar counter with green tiles
using the height of the coffee bar as the datum line, all the color and old elements are kept below 1.2m. above the 1.2m line, the form and texture is extended but transformed into white. the space is therefore unified by the white above and contrasted with what’s happening below, where the client could still choose any objects they wanted. the white color also helps brighten up the space and let the guests feel less oppressed under the low ceiling. furthermore, all the ceiling edges have been filleted to give a gentler and softer impression.
interior – distinct division between the lower and upper halves
the client is a group of former tutors working in a large tutoring company in hong kong. for this reason, a projector wall is integrated so they can display quotes, poems and short stories. aside from coffee, the cafe also serves light japanese fusion meals. the strips of green marble that were originally embedded into the concrete flooring as ‘old objects’ also double to resemble seaweed strips on the japanese rice balls that the client sells.
corner seating area with more privacy
projection wall for displaying quotes, poems and short stories
old chairs bought from jiksap – a local vintage furniture shop
flooring embedded with green marble strips resembling the seaweed strips of rice balls
the datum line continues
the white ceiling with rounded edge
bathroom with special tiles
concept image – ‘let the old sink’, the interior is divided into multi-colored objects below and white above
project info:
project name: cafe wander
location: hong kong
design: absence from island + studio etain ho
project team: tang chi chun, ho siu ting etain, chen lok yan
client: ark culture ltd.
furniture supplier: jiksap 夕拾
area: 646 ft2 (60 m2) (front of house)
budget: HKD $600,000 (front of house)
completion date: july 2020
photography: xue lan xin
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
