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. 

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 1

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.

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 3

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.

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 7

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.

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 5

corner seating area with more privacy

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 4

projection wall for displaying quotes, poems and short stories

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 10

old chairs bought from jiksap – a local vintage furniture shop

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 8

flooring embedded with green marble strips resembling the seaweed strips of rice balls

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 9

the datum line continues

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 6

the white ceiling with rounded edge

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 11

bathroom with special tiles

cafe wander in hong kong employs let the old sink concept 2

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.

 

edited by: lynne myers | designboom